Sunnydale's Witches Do It Like This
by Serena10
Summary: X-Over with Harry Potter. Alternate Universes (both BtVS and HP). A sixteen years old Willow moves to England and gets enrolled in Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
1. Prologue

For Willow, life had always been pretty dull. Her parents didn't really love her and she didn't expected much of life. Her first day of school was what changed her life for a short time. She met new people and discovered that she was pretty smart. She worked very hard to prove herself and please her parents who wanted to impress their clients. Then, she met Xander, a boy who would become her best friend for years. She also had the displeasure of meeting Cordelia, the rich girl that would always make fun of her. But, she still had Xander and her new friend Jesse, and she had her knowledge.  
  
But then, when she became ten years old, Jesse died and Xander moved out of Sunnydale. She was stuck alone, Cordelia still making fun of her and only her knowledge to help her keep faith. Her dull life had made a spectacular comeback and she could have done fine without it.  
  
But then, at twelve years old, she was called by a local coven. A coven was, as she discovered, a group of witches. Willow's life was changing again and for the better. She learned that she wasn't destined to a dull and boring life, but to a much more fantastical one, just like those that were in the fiction books she liked to read to escape monotonous life. She, Willow Ann Rosenberg, possessed great magical power and would be initiated to witchcraft. Just imagine her parents reaction. They had a witch in the family, someone who possesed real power and would become someone.  
  
For three years, she stayed in Sunnydale's coven, learning spells, rituals, and just how to have fun with the other witches' child. She was accepted and even respected because she had a great deal of power for one so young and born from a *muggle's* family. Willow was totally happy for once.  
  
Of course, her life couldn't stay that way. Her parents had to decide to move in London, England. She had to leave all her friends and the coven that had offered her a whole new life, a better life. She was back to the boring one... or so she thought.  
  
During that summer, in August more precisely, she received a letter written in green ink, her favorite colour, just like her eyes. It was a letter from Hogwarts, England's school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was surprised and once again happy. Her parents were proud to know she had power enough to be accepted in any magical school. Not to say, her school supplies list was quite different than the one from the coven. She didn't know that witches and wizards from other places needed wands. Needless to say, Willow wasn't about to be rejected by other Cordelias who thought she was a freak. She would buy a wand and prove herself worthy of it. From now on, she would become a *normal* Hogwarts' student.   
  
She couldn't wait. 


	2. A Whole New World

Willow didn't know where to look anymore. Apparently, Diagon Alley didn't exist. She'd look everywhere around London and was convinced she hadn't missed a single street. "My feet hurt," she whined quietly to herself. Needing desperatly to sit, she headed to what seemed to be a secluded cafe : The Leaky Cauldron. She pushed open the door and stepped inside.   
  
The only light was coming from the many candles placed around the room. Willow was receiving many strange glares and she gave them back in return when seeing how weird these people were dressed. She bumped into someone and quickly muttered an excuse. Then she stepped back upon seeing the man she had stumbled in.  
  
He was at least seven feet tall and had long black hair with a beard. "Ya seem a little lost, lass."  
  
"Hum, yeah. I'm looking for Diagon Alley, but I've looked *everywhere* in London and hadn't been able to find it yet."  
  
"Well, that's because it's hidden. Come. Follow me."  
  
She followed the half giant to the backstore than to an opening outside where was kept some boxes and was surrounded by a thick brick wall. The giant pulled an umbrella out of his coat and knocked a few bricks. The wall imediatly started to move and an opening formed itself, letting Willow see for the first time Diagon Alley. "Wow," she whispered. "Um, do you know where I can get wizard coins for my muggle money?"  
  
"Just walk straight ahead and you'll fall on Gringotts." Then he headed back in the Leaky Cauldron while Willow took her first walk in Diagon Alley.  
  
* * *  
  
Arms loaded with books for fifth year students, the redhead headed toward the dressmaker where she could get her school uniform, her robes and a cloak. The dressmaker lead her to a secluded spot for measurements. A boy was already there, waiting for his uniform to be completed. As shy as always, she kept her eyes down, doing her best to ignore the boy. She knew she'd be as red as her hair if she looked up. She was a young teen witch that wasn't blind at all and a fine good specimen of male was standing to her left side.  
  
Not to tell, Willow startled when she heard his voice so close to her. "I've never seen you before and you don't look like a first year student. Where are you from?"  
  
"I-I'm from America. It's my first year at Hogwarts." She bit her lip, trying to give herself courage to continue talking. "I'm Willow Rosenberg."  
  
"Never heard of the name before."  
  
"My parents aren't wizards."  
  
The boy sneered. "It figures. You're one of these Mudbloods. I just had to be the first one to meet the new member of Gryffindor's house. How lucky," he muttered. He took the boxes from the dressmaker's hands and stomped out of the shop, the redhead's surprised eyes following him.  
  
"Way to go, Rosenberg. That's just what you had to do. Make enemy with the first Hogwarts' student you meet."  
  
* * *  
  
She entered the dark shop slowly, looking for the shopkeeper named Olivander. "Hello?" She startled when an old man jumped down a ladder and came toward her, fixing his strange silver eyes on her.   
  
"Yes, the new student. I was expecting you. Which is you wand hand?" She lifted up the right one. "Right. Just wait here." He quickly walked to a wall full of boxes and grabbed a cream collered one. He gently gave her the beige wand. "Oak with dragon heartstring." He frowned when nothing happen. "Not this one." He grabbed it from her hand and disappeared behind a shelf.  
  
Willow eyed the weird man coming back with a black box. He handed her a light brown wand. "Birch with unicorn hair." As she touched it, a flame burst from it and the carpet when up in flames. "Never use that wand again, dear."  
  
For a third time, he brought her a box, a green one. [Well, you know what they say? Third time's a charm.] She took the black wand carefully. "Willow with a wolf fang. It's a prototype." His eyes widened as he saw the air twirl around the girl. The wand had chosen its witch. "You are certainly special for such a powerful wand being in your possession miss..."  
  
"Oh, hum, Rosenberg. Willow Rosenberg."  
  
The man smiled upon hearing her first name. "But then again, maybe it had reasons to. Good luck at Hogwarts, miss Rosenberg."  
  
* * *  
  
"Great. I'm stuck at King's Cross station with no idea about how to go on platform nine and three quarters. Somehow, I just keep getting lost these days."   
  
Willow sat down on her trunk and put her chin in her hands, a frown on her face. She still had fifteen minutes to find the *damned* platform, but it didn't *exist*, just like Diagon Alley. She had figured out a long time ago that it must be hidden just like the alley, but she had no way of finding out where.  
  
Her eyes followed a group of redheads in front of her, heading toward one specific bricks wall between platforms nine and ten, a black haired boy and a brown haired girl following closely. She gasped when she saw the two older redheads, twins, racing toward the wall and disappearing through it. A girl of perhaps a year younger than her, probably fifteen, walked to the wall and waited for a muggle couple to pass before walking through the hidden passageway leading to platform nine and three quarters. "How did they do that?!" Willow exclaimed. The redheads' mother startled when she heard her. She saw her reach for her wand hidden in her purse. "Whoa! Don't fret!" Willow took a look around her, just to make sure noone was listening. "I'm also going on the platform. I'm new and it's actually a big help to me that you're here. I've been looking for the hidden passageway for half an hour.  
  
"Oh yes! My husband told me you might make an appearance. He works for the Ministry of Magic. You're from America, aren't you?" Willow nodded. "Don't worry, dear. You just have to walk straight to the wall."  
  
Taking a deep breath, she ran to the wall just like the twins did before her. She opened her eyes when she didn't slam into it like she had expected. Instead, she was standing in a train station, the bright red Hogwarts Express in front of her : platform nine and three quarters.  
  
The situation finally sunk in Willow. She was no longer in a coven in Sunnydale or a muggle-wannabe in a public school of London. She was in a hidden world about to go aboard of a train that would lead her to her new home for the next ten months : Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was a whole new world. 


	3. Meetings

Willow sighed angrily. She had spent an entire hour searching for an empty cabin. The only seat she had found was beside the blond boy she had already seen at the dressmaker shop. He had sneered upon seeing her and she had quickly left before he or the two monsters guarding him said something rude.  
  
She opened the last cabin and was surprised when she saw one of the redheads with his two friends she had met at King's Cross station. "Excuse me! Can I sit here?" she asked shyly.  
  
"Of course!" the girl exclaimed. "I'm Hermione Granger. Welcome to Hogwarts! These two are Ron Weasley and Harry Potter." She was waiting for some kind of exclamation from the american, but apparently, she had never heard about The Boy Who Lived before.  
  
"It's a pleasure meeting you. I'm Willow Rosenberg."  
  
"So, Willow," Ron started. "In what year are you? Have you met anybody else yet?"  
  
"I'm in fifth year. And no, I haven't met anybody else except for one boy when I went to the dressmaker yesterday. Maybe you can enlighten me. Pray tell, what is a Mudblood?"  
  
Hermione frowned. "You were unlucky to first run into Draco Malfoy. He's a git. Don't listen to him. A mudblood is the name given by Slytherins to all muggle-born witches and wizards. It's an insult. Malfoy calls me that too."  
  
Willow understood what Hermione had told her, but was still unfamiliar with another word. "What's a Slytherin?" For the first time, she heard the gentle and soothing voice of Harry Potter.  
  
"There are four houses at Hogwarts : Hufflepuff for the loyal, Ravenclaw for the clever, Gryffindor for the brave and Slytherin for the ambitious. We're all in Gryffindor. Malfoy is a Slytherin. Every wizard or witch that went bad was once in Slytherin. Beside, *everyone* knows most of the students there are child of Death Eaters."  
  
For once, Willow wasn't lost. The expression was familiar to her. She had heard the older witches at the coven talk about the Dark Lord and his followers bearing the dark mark, a skull with a snake protuding from its mouth. She wasn't sure before that 'Death Eaters' was what she had heard because she didn't know what it was. Now she did. A frown settle upon her face.  
  
Ron imediatly saw the somber expression on the girl's face. "What is it?"  
  
"What if I was put in Slytherin? I mean, I am very loyal because loyalty is the key to make relationships work, I am clever because I have a thirst for knowledge and I do show a great deal of bravery because I believe in my powers. All of those characteristics are related to the stronger one in me : ambitious."  
  
Harry sighed. "You are put in the house where you might elvolve the most. If you are to be in Slytherin, then so be it. But remember this : there isn't *one* Slytherin who isn't pureblood."  
  
[Yeah well, with my luck, I could be the exception.] Willow thought.  
  
* * *  
  
"Come one! First year! Over here! First year!"  
  
Willow looked where the voice came from and was surprised to see the half giant that had helped her at the Leaky Cauldron. Harry walked to her. "It's Hagrid. He's the keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts. Don't worry about the giant factor. He's real nice even if he has a soft spot for strange beasts. You want to go with the first years?"  
  
"No thanks. I'll ride with you three."  
  
The ride up to the castle was quiet and the curious redhead stuck her head out the window, staring for the first time at Hogwarts, an amazing stone castle completly illuminated by candles' light from inside it, visible through the open windows. "Wow," she whispered.  
  
A couple of minutes passed and the horseless car stopped abruptly. Ron was the first to jump out of it, followed by Harry and Hermione, then Willow. A cocky voice made its way to them. "You see that, Goyle? Mudblood Granger will have a friend. A nice little redhead, a poor substitute for the Weasel."  
  
Willow turned around and she stared into the cold grey eyes of Draco Malfoy. Hermione stood at her right side. "Stuff it, Ferret boy!" Ron laughed when the blond Slytherin became even paler than normal.  
  
"Ferret?" Willow asked.  
  
"I'll have to tell you a story someday," Ron told her, holding his side.  
  
They followed the rest of the students up the staircase and soon fell before the main hall. Most of the teachers were already there. Harry bend down to whisper in Willow's ear. "The wizard with the white beard is the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. On his right, it's professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house. Be aware of the black haired teacher over there. It's Snape, head of Slytherin house. He teaches potions and he's a nightmare. He takes pleasure in taking away points from us."  
  
Willow looked straight at Severus Snape and tried to look away when he stared at her... but she was unable to do so! As panic crept us her spine, she could see the confusion settle in his face as he too couldn't look away. Suddenly, she was blinded by a bright flash. She couldn't see the main hall anymore. She was outside of a mansion. She could only see shadows moving around her, no clear faces. Every voices sounded like a whisper. A scream pierced the night.  
  
"Willow!"  
  
Suddenly, Willow jumped back into reality. Harry was shaking her. "What happen? You've been gone for five minutes."  
  
"Sorry," she sighed. "I was just lost in space, that's all." She followed them to the Gryffindor table and frowned when she remembered that she had not been sorted yet.   
  
A firm voice called her from across the room. "Willow Rosenberg! Come with me please." It was professor McGonagall. "It is quite unusual to have transfer students and we were not quite sure how to make it work with your...unusual ways of magic."  
  
Willow's eyes widened. "You know?"  
  
Minerva McGonagall smiled. "Of course. But me and the headmaster are the only one. We don't want that information to land in unwanted hands. Just use your wand like any other students and it will be fine. I see you've made friends with the terrible trio as we, teachers, like to call them. I know you'd like to join them, but only the sorting hat will tell if you are destined to be a Gryffindor or something else. I'll take the first years up the stage to be sorted, then you'll be next. Just wait beside the teachers' table." With that, the transfiguration teacher left the main hall in search of Hogwarts' new students. 


	4. Who Would Have Thought?

It was the part Willow dreaded the most. Oh! She had loved the hat's song and she found the sorting ceremony quite interesting. But now, she just knew that she would be the center of everyone's attention while the hat tried to decide in which house she would be the best.  
  
"Willow Rosenberg."  
  
The redhead gulped when she saw all the heads turn toward her. She heard several whispers as students were amaze to see for the first time a transfer student at Hogwarts. She saw the Slytherins sneered at the sight of a new Mudblood, as they called it, making her way to professor McGonagall to probably become the newest Gryffindor and turn the terrible trio into the terrible quartet.   
  
She sighed heavily, then sat down on the stool. She held her breath when the sorting hat was placed on her head. // Hum, interesting. It's been a long time since I've had such a challenge. You are a loyal chit, no doubts about that. And you are courageous, after all, you've lived on a Hellmouth. Oh! Such an interesting mind! You do know the meaning of cleverness. //  
  
Willow tried to relax as the hat seemed to whisper to himself, thinking about where she could live. // Normally, it wouldn't be so tough, but you are *very* ambitious and, just between you and me, you possess *all* the prerequisites to be a good Slytherin. In your blood lies the truth. Remember that, child. Trust *your* memories and not those given by others. //   
  
[Huh?] Willow thought.  
  
"Slytherin!" the sorting hat yelled.  
  
Willow startled when she heard the name of the house where she belonged. She could hear the furious whispers coming from the Slytherin tables. She wasn't a pureblood. It was impossible! But then again, the hat had put doubts in her head. He did say she had all the prerequisites and that the truth lied in her blood. [What did that mean?] She saw professor Snape stand and walk to his house's table, trying to calm down the angry students.   
  
Suddenly, a teacher that hadn't been presented to her stood up after she gasped. She was looking like a gypsy or some kind of fortuneteller. Her eyes weren't focusing. "Trelawney, are you all right?" Dumbledore asked gently.  
  
The woman floated up a couple of feet in the air and the wind blew up the candles' flame near. "She shall come from the land of the sun, different from all those around her. She who possess a power never before seen shall be the downfall of He who-must-not-be-named. In her blood lies the truth." The hall went silent and professor Trelawney fell on the floor, out of trance.  
  
Willow squealed when she heard the last sentence spoken by the divination teacher. Her hands were shaking with fear. The hat had said that about her blood. "Oh. My. God."  
  
"Willow, was is it?" McGonagall asked.  
  
But the redhead was far too gone to hear the old woman. "No. It can't be." She looked up and screamed in rage. "Why can't I be just like anybody else? I swore to myself I would let behind me all this super power garbage and I meant it!"   
  
"You can't escape your destiny, little one," Trelawney said suddenly.   
  
"What destiny? I'm totally destiny-free! I'm just a normal witch!"  
  
The divination teacher smiled mysteriously. "Trelawney, my office," Dumbledore said. "Minerva, I'd like you to be there also."  
  
"Of course, Albus. Severus, I trust you to take good care of miss Rosenberg."   
  
Willow looked up from the floor when she heard her name. The black haired teacher pulled her up and a shiver crept up her spine at the contact. She felt him tense when he felt it too. There was something strange about him, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. There was a connection between him and her, no doubts about that. The problem was just to figure out what.  
  
Dumbledore walked in the middle of the main hall. "Let the feast begin! Severus, I shall be back before the end of supper." He left, professor Trelawney and McGonagall following behind.  
  
"Come on, miss Rosenberg," Snape said. "You sit here and try to calm down and eat something." He helped her sit with the other fifth year Slytherin. He shot them a cold glance, warning them to stay clear of the girl and not bother her. Then he returned to the teachers' table.   
  
Soon, all conversations started again like nothing had happened. Listening to the potion master, the redhead ate something, not caring what it was. At least, she didn't have an empty stomach. It was bad for thinking anyway. She felt eyes on her and she looked up into a pair of grey eyes. "Can't keep your eyes off me, I see."  
  
Draco looked surprise at her retort. He was used to see her shy away and blush, not answer back to him. He closed is mouth and turned back to his plate, trying to forget the red haired girl in front of him.  
  
* * *  
  
The door of the headmaster's office closed itself. Minerva sighed. "Well, who would have thought that Trelawney would one day have a true vision."  
  
"I know," Dumbledore said. "It kind of happened at a bad time, though."  
  
"We did tell her to keep it a secret, Albus. She won't reveal what Willow trully is. What worries me is that the hat thought it best for her to be in Slytherin. Do you think it wise? What if a Death Eater learns about what happened tonight? She'll stay in a house that many students would be happy to see the Dark Lord raise again and they all heard what Trelawney said tonight. They might not be sure that Willow's trully the one that could beat Voldemort, but us, we know the truth. She's the one. The land of the sun. Doesn't take a genius to connect it to Sunnydale, her hometown."  
  
"We'll deal with it one day at a time, Minerva. She's safe at Hogwarts."  
  
"I hope your right," she sighed. Then, she suddenly started to laugh. "Who would have thought? The only person that poses a treath to Voldemort is a young muggle-born girl in Slytherin." 


	5. Disturbing Dreams

Willow knew everyone was watching her. She was receiving weird glances from her fellow Slytherin and she did her best to ignore them as they were led to the dormitories. Someone bumped into her and continue walking, not bothering to stop and apologize. Her eyes narrowed when she saw a girl wearing too many makeup and walking like she was the queen of England herself. [Great. Another Cordelia.] She gritted her teeth when she heard her talk loudly to another girl beside her.  
  
"I can't believe they let a Mudblood in Slytherin. And she's mental that one, believe me. She's not even pretty. I mean, she's at the same level than Granger. I bet she'll run out to the Gryffindor in less than a week."   
  
Willow was pissed. She kept her gaze down, knowing her eyes were probably pitch black right now. From behind her red hair fallen on her forehead, she concentrated on the girl that she had heard being called Pansy, the leader of Draco's fanclub.   
  
Suddenly, the ground went more slippery than it was normally. Pansy squealed loudly when her foot slipped on a greasy stone she fell face first, breaking her nose in the process. Most of the Slytherin broke into instant laugher and the redhead grinned evilly. The ground normal again, she stepped over Pansy. "At least, I'm a Mudblood that knows how to walk properly." She followed the prefect to the common room.   
  
When crossing Malfoy, she was surprised to see a small smile on his lips. He grabbed her arm. "I don't know how you did that, Rosenberg," he started. "But you did well. This shall be enough to shut her up for a couple of days. You've passed the first test to be in Slytherin." He winked at her, then let her go.  
  
With a last smile behind her, Willow continue on her way to the common room. She laughed again when she heard Malfoy's voice. "Come on, Pansy. Your blocking the way."   
  
[It might not be so bad after all.]  
  
* * *  
  
She was back outside the mansion in the middle of the night. It was made of stone, tourettes giving it the look of a victorian house. There was large windows where sunlight could surely easily penetrate inside the mansion to illuminated it as well as moonlight could make its way inside to make the marble glow. Beautiful carved statues of stone guarded the grounds and the gentil sound of running water from a nearby fountain could lull even the most hyperactive child to sleep.  
  
It was different than an ordinary dream though. She could move like she wanted and had free will of her thoughts. The grass was damp under her feet and the wind blew her hair around her face. She was dressed in a long green silk nightgown, something she didn't own in reality's realm. Her skin seemed to glow in the moonlight and shadows caressed her body like a lover's hands.   
  
Willow looked up. A green smoke flew above the mansion and suddenly, the shapeless substance shifted to form a skull with a snake protuding from its mouth : Voldemort's mark. She knew that when the shape was above a house, horror must be happening inside it... or outside as the case was this time.  
  
Willow crept silently toward the two dark shapes near the fountain. A man wearing a black cloak stood straight, hands outstretched, trying to grasp something held tightly by another man kneeling in front of him. A man with black hair and hautingly familiar dark eyes filled with tears. "Please, master. Let me keep her. I won't disapoint you again."  
  
"You are right about this, Severus. But I won't let you have the pleasure of keeping her. Let this be a warning and, hopefully, a punishment painful enough to make you learn no to try and take me for an idiot again. Did you think I wouldn't notice that you had been seeing an auror for years?"  
  
"I understand, my lord. Her death was punishment enough and an helpful reminder to me to keep faithful to you. Don't take her... please."  
  
"Know that now, Severus. I'll keep a close eye on you. Live knowing your daughter will be raised as a *muggle* with a muggle family in the muggle world. I hope that will be lesson enough." Without another word, he painfully grabbed the child from the helpless crying man's hands. The small bundle cried in obvious distress at being pryied from its father's warmth.   
  
The cloaked man disapeared with the child and the man let out an awful scream of anguish. Pushed by an inner urge, Willow walked to him. She stopped dead in her track when she saw him pull a blank face and stand up. "Oh. My. God. Professor Snape?!" But he didn't hear her. She was but a mere spectator in what could only be described as a vision of some sort from the potion master's past. When she had first seen him, her soul had cried toward the man wearing a cold mask to hide his pain and his thirst for vengence. Somehow, she knew her destiny was to help him make peace with his past.  
  
Then, as if sensing her opening her heart to him, Severus Snape looked directly into her green eyes. "My lover is gone. My passion died with her. I need my daughter to make me live again." He took her left hand in his and she felt something being pressed into her palm. "Help me free her," he whispered softly. Her eyes widened when his turned black and blue bolts of energy crackled around their joined hands. Blinding white light surrounded her and she closed her eyes.  
  
* * *  
  
Willow sat up straight in her bed, panting a little. She calmed down a bit and flopped down on her pilow. Sunlight streamed form the windows and she sighed. The magical clock on her bedside table indicated six o'clock. "Well, it's too late to go back to sleep," she muttered to herself.   
  
Looking down at herself, she froze when she saw a silver ring with an onyx resting on her ring finger of her left hand. It hadn't been there when she went to bed the night before. In fact, the only one who could have possibly put it there was... [No, it can't be! It was just a dream!] But her heart and her mind knew the truth. It had been a vision that had told her what needed to be done.   
  
Resolve face in place, she made her way to the bathroom, determined to find out the truth about what happened that night and the secret about Snape's past. He was the head of Slytherin, her house. Surely, it wouldn't be too difficult, could it? 


	6. First Day

KNOCK! KNOCK!  
  
"What is it?" someone yelled harshly.  
  
"Professor Snape? Can I talk to you for a moment, please?"  
  
"I'm busy," he snapped. "Can't it wait 'till Potions this afternoon?"  
  
"Alright," she grumbled.  
  
Still muttering to herself, Willow walked to the great hall for breakfast. [Snape : 1, Willow : 0. It's no big deal. I just have to wait until this afternoon. Can't wait to know the rest of my schedule!] she thought excitingly. No matter how old she was, she was still excited on the first day of school.   
  
Her thoughts were interrupted when she bumped into someone. "Watch it, Rosenberg!"   
  
[Draco Malfoy. Great. Just what I needed.] She sighed. "Sorry. I wasn't looking."  
  
"Better be careful next time. You may be in Slytherin, for some obscure reasons I would prefer not to think about, but you're still one of those disgusting Mudbloods!" He walked past her quickly and took his place at the Slytherin table.  
  
Willow stood there just in front of the double doors, quite a bit thrown back by his comment. She had learned to ignore people like Cordelia or Malfoy, but it hurts nonetheless.   
  
"Are you alright, Willow?"  
  
The redhead startled and turned around. Hermione was looking at her with concern. "I'm fine. I'm just nervous about my first day."  
  
"You don't need to lie to me, you know. I know it hurts to be called that. I mean, it's not like we decided to be muggle-born, were we? But blood is blood. I don't see what the big deal is. Purebloods are just a bunch of inbreeds."  
  
Willow laughed and smiled brightly at the Gryffindor. Then she frowned. [In your blood lies the truth.]  
  
"Willow?"  
  
She snapped out of her thoughts. "Sorry. I'm just going to go inside, now. Yeah, that's what I'll do. I'm starving." She quickly went inside, leaving a confused Hermione outside, in front of the doors. She walked to her table and sat a couple of places left to Malfoy. She grabbed her schedule from the pile next to her.   
  
Monday : Herbology, lunch, Potions with Gryffindors  
Tuesday : History of Magic with Hufflepuffs, lunch, Charms  
Wednesday : Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures with Gryffindors, lunch  
Thursday : Divination, lunch, Defense against the Dark Arts with Gryffindors  
Friday : Ancient Runes with Ravenclaws, Arithmancy, lunch  
  
"What's with all those courses with the goodie-goodie two shoes?" she heard someone say. Looking up, she realized it was Malfoy. "Isn't it enough seeing them during meals?"  
  
"I think they're nice," she replied softly.  
  
Draco glared at her. "The sorting hat must be getting old or your mind was so fucked up, he got confused and sorted you in the wrong house. You can always run to muggle lover Dumble-freak and ask for a transfer, Mudblood," he sneered. A couple of Slytherins snickered.  
  
Willow had heard enough. She suddenly stood up and slammed her hands on the table, making the students closer to her jump. "That's it! What the fuck is your problem, Malfoy?" she yelled. The hall became silent and all heads turned toward her. "You were ok last night and even nice to me when Pansy *suddenly* fell down by *accident*. Afraid Daddy will get mad if you're nice to one person? Or is it that your cold heart couldn't handle it? Just admit it Malfoy. You're just a scared little boy who's not able to think by himself yet and has to rely on his father." She grabbed her book bag and stomped angrily out of the great hall, cheers from the Gryffindors following her outside. She walked briskly to the library, bumping in students on her way there.  
  
The moment she stepped in, she backed into the wall and slid down. [Oh my God! I can't believe I said that!] She didn't trusted her legs yet, so she stayed like this until she figured out it was time to head to her first class, Herbology... with only the Slytherins. [Oh, joy.]   
  
* * *  
  
Willow was quite surprised. The morning wasn't as awful as she imagine it would be. In fact, she was now starting to think she had done the right thing by making a scene at breakfast. Sure, Pansy and Draco were both shooting her death glares, but the other members of her house were looking at her with something akin to respect. Nobody stood up to a Malfoy. Except the terrible trio, but they didn't count : they were in Gryffindor.   
  
At lunchtime, people kept greeting her and she barely made it to her table in time to grab something to eat before it was time to head to the dungeons. It was time to meet the feared Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin, in the most dangerous class of all, Potions with *both* the Slytherins and the Gryffindors.  
  
When she entered the classroom, she saw that only one other person had arrived and, to her delight, realized it was Hermione. "Hello, Hermione. Mind if I sit here?"  
  
"Are you sure you want to do that, Willow? Snape will have a fit if you sit down next to a Gryffindor and I'm sure Ron will again act like a git and treat you badly because you're in Slytherin, even if he met you before and found you nice."  
  
"Maybe you're right. But I wouldn't want to disappoint my *fanclub*. They'd just love to see me sitting with 'know-it-all Mudblood Granger', as my fellow housemates call you. I've finally found someone who spends more time than me studying. I hope you're not afraid of competition for the highest grade," she said teasingly.  
  
"Bring it on, know-it-all Mudblood Rosenberg!"  
  
The two girls laughed and the redhead sat down beside her supposed enemy, but who might actually be her soul sister. Notebooks, quills and ink out, they both waited patiently, ready for a three hour lesson on potions. 


	7. Mission Impossible

He hated Harry Potter. He never liked his father, in fact, he loathed him. Like father like son. He never liked the son, in fact, he loathed him.   
  
He hated Ron Weasley. That red haired boy would have failed potions if not for his friends. He was just looking for scraps of celebrity because of famous Potter.  
  
He didn't know what to think of Hermione Granger. That girl was brillant and she actually had a futur compared to those two low level brains she hanged out with. Still, her know-it-all attitude irritated him.  
  
He always thought one know-it-all in his class was a nightmare. Apparently, he'd never had to deal with *two* before. And the second one was a Slytherin.  
  
[Willow Rosenberg,] he thought. That one was a complete mystery to him and quite franckly, she scared him. Her wide green eyes disturbed him and he had been spooked the night before when he'd looked at her. He didn't like it. He didn't like the connection he felt with her.   
  
Of course, it felt good to know that what he taught was at least assimilated by more than one student, and a Gryffindor at that. For that he respected the american. She was as brillant as Hermione Granger.   
  
"Can someone tell me what is the use of asphodel?"  
  
Two hands shot up.  
  
He sighed. [God! How am I going to survive with those two in the same class?]  
  
* * *   
  
Seeing the last student step out the classroom, Severus Snape sighed tiredly and slumped in his chair, dragging a pile of paper needing to be marked. He sneered at some, groaned at others. He couldn't believe that some students still didn't understand the basics of potion making. [How pathetic?] Someone knocked on the door. "Come in."  
  
Willow shyly opened the door and quickly walked to the potion master's desk. "I wanted to ask you a couple of questions, professor."  
  
"What is it?"he asked with his usual cold look.  
  
"Have you ever loved, professor?"  
  
Snape did a double-take. "I beg your pardon?"  
  
The redheaded girl flushed and looked at the stone floor. "I know it's personal but I really need to know."  
  
"I don't see where my personal life concerns you, miss Rosenberg, but yes, I've loved... a long time ago."  
  
"What happened for this to change?"  
  
He glared at her new question but answered nonetheless. "She died. End of story. You still have a lot to learn about the real world, miss Rosenberg, this including that there's never a 'happily ever after' in life."  
  
"I think you could love again if certain... things were given back to you. Is that why you left the dark side?"  
  
His eyes narrowed dangerously. "I don't know where you got that information, miss Rosenberg, but I suggest you keep it to yourself. As of now, my private life will stay that way : private. You're dismissed." Without another look, he returned back to grading papers.   
  
Frowning, Willow stood up and left the classroom, definitly not satisfied with the outcome of the conversation. She had expected to have a couple of revelations, but it had been a major catastrophy. Now, it would be hell to get information out of him. He had closed down on himself like a clam.  
  
Sighing angrily, the red haired witch made her way to the Slytherin common room. "Serpentis," she told the painting. It opened itself and she went inside.   
  
Pansy walked up to her as she crossed the common room. "Hey, mudblood!"  
  
"Fuck off!" she yelled at the other Slytherin, who jumped in surprised. She noticed that noone else made a move toward her. They could feel anger radiating from the girl and it was worse than a PMS-get-out-of-my-way vibe.   
  
Noone standing in her way, Willow quickly climbed up the stairs and entered in her room, slamming the door behind her. She jumped on her bed. [What I need is a plan to get him talking... which is damn near impossible to do.] She bit her lip in frustration. [There must be something.]   
  
Suddenly she stiffed. She looked down at her hand and her eyes widened. "Of course!" she cried outloud. "The ring!" She left her room, running and nearly slammed into Pansy in the common room.   
  
A pair of grey eyes watched her go back out of the Slytherin's doormitory. Draco Malfoy left the shadows and followed her quietly. He watched as she headed to the dungeons. He turned to another hall, a shortcut he had found in second year. He ended up in an empty classroom. He walked to the other side and opened the door slightly. He didn't have to wait long before he saw a flash of red hair running his way.   
  
Willow ran past a door hidden in shadows when she was grabbed from behind. A hand clamped over her mouth. "Stay quiet! I won't harm you," someone whispered in her hear. She was pulled into the dark empty classroom. Only then did the strong arms let go of her. She quickly turned around and froze. "I rendered Willow Rosenberg speechless," he sneered.   
  
"You surprised me, that's all," she replied coldly. "What did you want? I'm kind of busy."  
  
"What is going in that pretty head of yours? I'm starting to think they put you in Slytherin because of your mood swings, mudblood."  
  
"Stop calling me that!" she yelled. "I hate it and I'm starting to think it's not even true."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"I'm having weird dreams... and the sorting hat didn't help at all."  
  
"What did it tell you?" She didn't answered. "Come on, I'm just curious. It all tells us something. What did it whispered in your ear?"  
  
"It's not your business."  
  
"Well, it's not your business either what is going in Snape's life. Are you a spy for Him?" His eyes hardened. "Did he send you to watch Us? Answer me!"  
  
"Uh?" Willow frowned. The guy was getting more and more confusing. He had worse mood swings than her. In two days, she had gotten him indifferent, amused, disgusted and angry. She didn't know what to think of him anymore.  
  
"No. It can't be that. He wouldn't send an american muggle-born."  
  
"When your finished talking to yourself, can you please tell me?" she asked him sarcasticly. He turned toward her and she felt uneasy. His eyes weren't as cold as before, but it felt odd. She squirmed under his gaze as he examined her.   
  
Draco took a step closer to Willow. She jumped when he stroked her cheek with his knuckles. He gently touched her hair. "Red," he whispered. "Just like Her." He suddenly stopped. He stormed off of the room.  
  
"Her?" Willow asked outloud to noone. She forgot all about the mysterious potion master and headed to the library to clear her mind. 


	8. Connection

Days became weeks. Willow never spoke to Snape about his past again. She would respect his privacy. Pansy was still horrible, so she continued playing tricks on her. It was an activity like others. Draco and her were tolerant toward each other. They weren't friends, but they weren't enemies either. They were only housemates. Willow still sat next to Hermione in potions and Harry and Ron were still not sure if they should trust her or not. Not that she could blame them. Slytherins had done horrible things to them before.  
  
Around middle of October, the redhead started to notice people getting nervous, students *and* teachers alike. She soon discovered that every year, some event always happened on Halloween, disturbing peace at Hogwarts. That year wouldn't be an exception.  
  
October 31st - Defense Against the Dark Arts class  
  
Willow sat with Hermione, just like in potions. The teacher, Mr. Potvin, was freaky, but a good teacher nonetheless, almost as good as Remus Lupin had been. Of course, Mr. Potvin wasn't a werewolf, not that Willow cared. She had met quite a few werewolves in Sunnydale and most weren't as bad as anyone makes them seem to be.   
  
Teams had been made to practice counter curse. Hermione and Willow stood in a corner of the class, Harry and Ron beside them. Naturally, the two girls were doing pretty well and rolled their eyes when the Boy Who Lived almost burned his red haired friend's hair. They burst out laughing when they started cursing each other like toddlers fighting over candies.   
  
The class was going well... until It happened.  
  
Everyone froze when suddenly, Willow screamed her head off. She slammed back into the wall, holding her head in her arms, barely standing on her shaking legs. Her eyes were wide open in alarm. Harry tried coming closer to her but she screamed some more.   
  
Hearing her, Draco ran to the end of the class, where the redhead was. "Willow!" He tried getting to her, but she scrambled back trapping herself in a corner. She then fell on her knees when another wave of pain washed over her. She yelled in pain.   
  
Hermione watched, helpless. When someone was approaching her, it seemed like she was in more pain, making her panic. She turned toward Professor Potvin. "Do something!" she yelled at him, scared about her friend's condition.  
  
Willow couldn't believe the pain she was in. Everything was fine until suddenly, all her muscles seemed to contract at once. A burning pain made its way inside her veins. The vision of the dark mark over the mansion from her dreams invaded her sight for a couple of seconds. She could feel her instincts coming forth. And that was bad. Her Sunnydale defense mechanism being operational was a *very* bad sign.  
  
When Harry tried to go to her, she screamed and backed away quickly. She was starting to lose control and she didn't want to hurt him. Same thing when Draco rushed to her. She was scared shitless and the pain still racked her body. She finally fell on her knees when it became too much. She just wished it would stop.   
  
Draco couldn't stand still. His housemate was on the floor, screaming in pain, and the only thing he could do was stay away because it seemed to make her panic. [Well, tough luck! I'm going to her!] He rushed forward and ignored the teacher's warning. He gently took her in his lap and stroked her hair. "Willow," he said softly. "Look at me." He gasped when two onyx eyes fell on him. "Bloody hell!" She then shut them again and convulsed in Draco's arms. He looked up at the teacher. "What are you waiting for! Get Ms. Pomfrey!" he yelled. [Hang on, Willow.]   
  
Willow was oblivious to everything that happened around her. She was stuck in her painful world and only Draco's soothing voice seemed to help her focus. She knew her eyes were black. She could feel the energy flowing inside her. She wouldn't be able to control it much longer. She needed help. Fast.  
  
Gathering all her strength left, she concentrated, building a shield around the pain and creating a telepathic link with Sunnydale's coven. Soon enough, she felt warmth surrounding her and she knew help was there.  
  
Draco let go of her when her skin glowed. "What the...?" He watched with round eyes when she levitated. The redhead's body was reeking of power. A blinding light enveloped Willow's body and the students heard whispering voices.   
  
Ms Pomfrey, Professor Potvin and Professor Dumbledore burst in the room at the moment the light disappeared and Willow fell from the ceiling. Draco caught her in her fall. She was unconscious. "What the hell happened?" he asked Dumbledore in panic.  
  
"I'm not quite sure Mr. Malfoy," the Headmaster answered. "Perhaps we should bring her up to the hospital wing."  
  
"Right." Draco exited the class, Ms Pomfrey and Dumbledore following him. Professor Potvin quickly dismissed the class and the students scrambled out to their common rooms, dying to tell what they had just witnessed.  
  
* * *  
  
Sitting in an armchair near the fire, Severus Snape relaxed, entertaining himself by reading a muggle novel he found quite interesting : Dr. Jekyll and Mister Hyde. He had free afternoon every Thursday and he tried to enjoy it as much as he could... even more so when he's been called in the first hour or so. He'd ignored it as usual. Nobody disturbed him during his free time.  
  
He nearly jumped out of his skin when a green head appeared in the fireplace. "Severus, I need you in my office right away."  
  
Grumbling, the potion master headed toward the exit of his chamber and went up the stairs two at a time, walking quickly to the Headmaster office. He stopped in front of the gargoyle. "Jelly worms," he muttered. He stomped past the gargoyle and entered the office.  
  
"Ah, Severus. Take a seat please. Lemon drop?"  
  
"What is it, Albus?" he sighed pitifully.   
  
"An incident happened in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class this afternoon. One of your student, Miss Rosenberg, had an attack of some sort."  
  
"I understand that she's a Slytherin, but what does it have to do with me?"  
  
The Headmaster stood up and his face became quite serious. The sparkle had disappeared from his eyes. "Professor McGonagall and I believed it best to hide something from everyone. It concerns Miss Rosenberg past and... rather special abilities. You see, she's a wandless witch. She has great power in her and she comes from one of the darkest cities of the world : Sunnydale, a Hellmouth. She's no ordinary witch, Severus. She has great potential for darkness in her and she dabbled in the dark arts in the past. If Voldemort gets his hands on her, it would be catastrophic."  
  
"But how could he ever be interested in her if nobody knows about her powers?"  
  
"That's where I'm getting at. As you told me earlier, you've been called after lunch. Several minutes later, I got a call from Professor Potvin, telling me to get downstairs. We found Miss Rosenberg floating above the class, her skin glowing. Apparently, she called for help."  
  
Snape sat straight in his chair. "Help against what, Albus?"  
  
"Mr. Malfoy told us she suddenly started screaming, as if in intense pain. Her eyes even turned black once. We brought her up to the hospital wing. Ms. Pomfrey found something rather disturbing. She had a mark burned into her flesh, on her forearm."   
  
Realization dawned on Snape. "The dark mark," he whispered. "How come?"  
  
"We don't know. When Poppy healed it, it disappeared. There's no trace of it. The only connection we could make was that *you* got called this afternoon and somehow, miss Rosenberg felt your pain."  
  
"But that's impossible!"  
  
"Is it?" The twinkle came back in the Headmaster's eyes. "She's quite a surprising young woman and I don't doubt that she hide's many secrets, Severus. Perhaps you ought to talk with her. She's in the hospital wing right now. Mr. Malfoy keeps her company." Dumbledore pointed the door.  
  
Understanding the little chat was over, Severus Snape left the office, a multitude of questions left unanswered. He headed toward the hospital wing. It was his responsibility to make sure his two prime students were alright.  
  
[Well, there goes my quiet afternoon.] 


	9. The Ring

The first thing she saw when she woke up was two grey eyes a bit too close to her own. She screamed and jumped, knocking her forehead against a startled boy's one. He winced and rubbed the tender spot. "Remember me to *never* be around you when you wake up."  
  
"Yeah, well, it didn't felt good on this side either," she replied, holding her head in pain. "What happened?"  
  
"You went ballistic in DADA. Ms. Pomfrey knows something but she refuses to tell me. I'm sure she had no qualms about telling Dumbledore, though," he muttered.   
  
The redhead laughed softly. "I'm sure she have good reasons. I'd like to know, though. It is *my* body that went ballistic for unknown reasons."  
  
They looked at each other in silence. Willow lost her smile when Draco spoke. "Willow, I saw your eyes turn black in class. I know what it means."  
  
She swallowed nervously and sighed. "It's not like I do consciously. My control slipped, that's all. Where... I come from, we... dabbled a bit in the black arts to understand better how to defend ourselves against it."  
  
"And you won black eyes by simply 'dabbling a bit'?"  
  
"Please, Draco, don't make me say it," she pleaded. "I swore to myself I'd left at that stuff behind when I moved to England. I don't want to go back in my past. I'd like to forget it. It ain't all sunshine and roses in my memory."  
  
"I understand perfectly. My father's a bastard. I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but he expect me to join you-know-who after graduation." He sneered. "Like I'd want to be the servant of some crack-pot. I think the best would be for us to forget this friendly meeting and pretend we hate each other again."  
  
A wicked smile appeared on Willow's face. "You got it... Malfoy." The two Slytherins looked at the door when they heard the nurse yelling.  
  
"Out! Get out!"  
  
"I'm here on Dumbledore's request, Poppy."  
  
"For God's sake, she needs rest!"  
  
"I won't be long." Snape pushed past the grumbling school nurse and walked to a bed in one corner, where laid Willow while Draco watched over her. The blond boy' eyes widened when he saw the potion master heading their way. He softly brushed the redhead's hand, something that didn't escaped Snape's gaze. "Would you leave us for a moment, Mr. Malfoy? I'd like to speak to Miss Rosenberg in private." Grumbling, Draco went and joined the equally grumbling nurse.   
  
Willow rolled her eyes at the blond boy. "What about, Professor?"  
  
"I've just spoken to the Headmaster and he told me surprising things... mostly about your interesting abilities." She blanched at his words. "No need to worry, Miss Rosenberg. Your secret is safe with me. However, what troubles me is of another matter. Now listen carefully. What I am about to tell you is a complete secret. I still can't believe I am going to tell all this to a student, but it is necessary." He pulled back the sleeve off his left arm. Willow gasped when she saw the ugly black skull imprinted on his alabaster skin. "Yes, I was once a Death Eater... still am in fact. But what people don't know is that I actually work for Dumbledore. I am a spy." He hid the mark once again.   
  
"When someone is summoned by Voldemort, it burns and with it comes great pain. This afternoon, I was called and I immediately informed the Headmaster." He bent down closer to Willow and looked straight in her eyes. "At the very same moment, a red haired Slytherin suddenly started screaming in her Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Do you understand what I am telling you, Miss Rosenberg? You felt what I feel when I am summoned. What I don't understand is why. Perhaps you could enlighten me." He seated himself comfortably in his chair.   
  
Willow swallowed nervously and her shaking fingers played with the bed sheet. "I... I only have a theory. I think, for some reasons, we've been connected. It all began a couple of weeks ago. I tried to tell you but... you kind of dismissed me quickly. I've had a very strange dream the first night at Hogwarts. You were in it." She saw him pale and quickly stopped his thoughts. "Not *that* kind of dream, Professor. In fact, far from it." She looked around to make sure nobody listened to her. "I know what happened that night, Professor. You told me you are a spy for Dumbledore. I know the reason that drove you away from Voldemort."  
  
It took a few seconds for Snape to be able to speak. "What are you implying, Miss Rosenberg?" he whispered in a hard tone.  
  
"You wanted revenge," she whispered back. "And somehow, a higher force wants me to help you recover what was brutally token from you all those years ago."  
  
"And what tells me it is not a devious plan from Voldemort to make me suffer even more after he discovered I was double crossing him?" He felt something being placed in his hand. He startled when he saw a silver ring in his palm. "Morganna."   
  
Willow could swear she saw his lips quiver. She had trouble believing what she herself saw at the moment. A silent tear was rolling down Severus Snape's cheek. "I want to help you, Professor," she told him gently. "I know that you've been looking for a long time for the last of Morganna on this planet : hers and yours daughter. Let me help you."  
  
Snape had a hard time controlling his trembling limbs. He breathed heavily. He handed her the ring back. "If the fates wanted you to have it, then so be it. Keep it safe until it can be given to my daughter."  
  
"I'll look after it as if it was my own life, Professor. Trust me."  
  
The potion master pulled himself back together. "I have papers to grade, Miss Rosenberg. Get well." Without a glance back, he left the infirmary.   
  
Draco walked back to the bed. "What did he want?"  
  
"Just normal House Head stuff. You know, 'you're my student and my charge, so get well soon or you'll lose points'." Draco nodded. While he stared at the wall, he didn't saw the small sad smile tugging Willow's lips as she looked at the ring resting on her finger. [You'll live again, Professor. I promise you.] 


	10. Angry writer

I'm sorry if many of you are dissapointed that this isn't another chapter. I'm really sorry and one should be there soon enough. The fact is, I have a very important message.  
  
I was surfing on the site an hour ago and stumbled on a fic called Lady in Red by SunShine. That so called writer stole my fic Elvish Blood. Everything was copied. The fact that so many of you read my fics and enjoy them is my luck. Many of you have seen how Elvish Blood evoluated and can tell it probably wasn't copied.   
  
What I ask all of you, is that you pass the word around, telling them about SunShine so that noone else had to find his fic stolen by another "writer".  
  
Thanks!  
  
Serena 


	11. Draco Malfoy

Thanks for all those who helped me against the evil plagiarist of Elvish Blood. I received a note from Feynor earlier. He told me that SunShine wasn't there any longer. I think all the note to report abuse that ff.net got from angry writers helped a lot. I appreciate the support everyone showed me. Thanks again.  
  
On to the fic! Yeah, I know. It took me a long time to update, but I was suffering from the syndrome of the blank page. It sucks! Well, I'm back in the writing game. I hope.  
  
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Draco's POV  
  
I know it's her. I've waited for her to come to me all my life.  
  
When I was still a little boy, the Dreams started. In each and every one of them, there was a woman with red hair calling to me, pleading me to help her. Sometimes, there was another woman with long brown hair and green eyes whispering softly to me. After I woke up, I never remembered what she told me. It was driving me mad.  
  
The first time I saw Willow, I had to slap myself not to pass out. She looked so much like the girl in my dreams. But I thought I was wrong. Willow Rosenberg was muggle-born. She couldn't have been sending me dreams.of course, it could have been someone else, but I don't know why they would do this.  
  
But then, the hat sorted her in Slytherin. There must be something special about her, because I never thought I would see the day when a mudblood would be sorted into my house.  
  
I still watch her as she sleeps. She might not be the woman in my dreams, but she is beautiful. And amazing. And extremely strange. Her mood swings could scare a Death Eater away. Or would attract him to her. I think that is what scares me. Willow has darkness in her. I don't know how much, but enough to catch Voldemort attention, I'm sure. I'll die before he can have her.  
  
She isn't his servant. I can see that now. I can't believe I took her for a spy and asked her about it. I thought for sure that she was here to watch on me and Professor Snape and a couple of Slytherins out of the game. Voldemort knows some of us won't ever bear the dark mark. Only Snape has it, but he is a spy. That's different. But I think Voldemort suspects him. I can see it now. She does have darkness in her, but she doesn't let it control her. I know she can't be a dark witch.  
  
I like her. I really do. Ok, she is weird. She stayed friends with Granger. But I respect her choice. Willow is smart. Granger is too and she's loyal. She won't get hurt having the know-it-all Gryffindor as a friend. I respect Granger too. not that I would *ever* admit it out loud.  
  
I'm disappointed that Willow isn't the woman of my dreams.well, I think. But apart from that, she's perfect. I'll be damned if she doesn't become my girl. But I won't beg. Please, Merlin! Let her be my girl!  
  
* * *  
  
When Draco came in the infirmary, he saw the redhead trying to walk. She was trembling from weakness. "What are you doing?!"  
  
Willow looked up, startled and fell on the floor as she lost her balance. He rushed to her and helped her stand up. She grumbled a bit, but didn't resist. "I swear, you're worst than the nurse. Are you going to tell me to go to bed and force feed be a dreamless sleep potion?"  
  
Draco laughed. "Come on! I'm not that bad. I just care for my new friend. I wouldn't want her to die before I got to know her better."  
  
"Oh really?" She smiled gently at him. "Thanks, Draco. At least, I know someone from Slytherin likes me and it's the Slytherin King in person. Parkinson will have my gut." He lifted an eyebrow and she conceded. "Ok, maybe not. But she'll try."  
  
He led her to the bed and helped her settle down comfortably. He sat down on the chair next to her bed. For a moment, she seemed lost in space, but Draco could see her mind working furiously. "Willow, we can't let the Slytherins know about our friendship. It would be dangerous for you and for me as well."  
  
"Are you a spy?"  
  
The question startled him. "How did you. Snape. He told you when he came yesterday." She nodded. "We're just a couple of Slytherins who doesn't want to become Death Eaters. I'm one of them. I would die before following my father's path."  
  
"I understand, Draco. Don't worry. And you don't have to hid anything from me."  
  
She stopped talking, but the blond boy could feel she wasn't finished. She was debating inside herself if she trust him. For a moment, it hurt him, but then he knew that they weren't exactly friends two days before. He put his hand on hers and came closer, letting her know that her secret was safe and that she didn't to yell it on the roof. "Tell me what you want, Willow and when you want. I'll be there whenever you feel sure you can trust me."  
  
She smiled gratefully at him. "It's not that I don't trust you. It's just. I feel silly. I've been having those really strange dreams. I need your help."  
  
Draco froze. The way she said it. He'd remember that voice everywhere. "So it is you," he whispered.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I've been having dreams too. There was always a red haired girl asking me for help. I don't know about what though. But it's you. I can feel it." She frowned. "Stop looking at me like that. I'm not crazy."  
  
"I don't think you're insane. It just becomes more and more confusing." He looked down and saw her playing nervously with the ring around her finger. "Was there a woman in your dreams?"  
  
"Yes. With green eyes. She's always whispering to me, but I can't hear her."  
  
Willow closed her eyes. "It does makes sense. It's confusing, but helping at the same time. I hope you understand what I mean."  
  
"A little explanation wouldn't hurt."  
  
The redhead took a deep breath. "Ok, here we go. Hang on because it may be a tough ride." 


	12. Severus Snape

Part 10 : Severus Snape  
  
Severus' POV  
  
I can't believe I told her that.  
  
When Albus first told us he was accepting a transfer student from America, I had absolutly no opinion. If he wanted an american in his school, that's his deal. He's too stuborn anyway and I knew I'd do what he wanted. This is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts we are talking about here.  
  
That was before he told us she was muggle-born. I admitt it : I'm biased when it comes to a witch or wizard's origins. It is a bit hard to ignore old habits. After all, I grew up in a pureblood family that taught me to hate muggle-borns. And I was a Death Eater. Good job, Severus. That's it! Bring up the bad memories!  
  
Anyway, I suddenly was vehemently against Albus' idea. What interest could I possibly have for someone who could not be sorted into my house. But remember when I said we were talking about Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts? He did exactly what I thought he'd do : he owled the american.  
  
So the owl departed from school, letter in his beck. Willow Rosenberg was accepted as a transfer student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
  
When I first saw her, in the great hall, I took her for a Weasley. I imediatly thought that we were under an invasion of redheads. Weren't there enough at Hogwarts already? But then, I saw her talk with Minerva and I knew who she was.  
  
That's when our eyes met. Never I had feel something like that. except when I first saw Morganna. Both have green eyes. But the biggest surprise wasn't over yet. She walked to the stool and put the hat on her head. I've never seen it took that much time except when it sorted Potter. Only this time, it didn't yell Gryffindor. but Slytherin.  
  
I don't think it is possible to have bigger shocked look than the one my house wore. A muggle-born had been sorted in Slytherin. My shock was entirely different. I was more thinking along the line 'the first time a muggle-born has been sorted in Slytherin since Tom Riddle'.  
  
I was quite surprised when she started yelling some nonsense after Sibyll's trance. if it was even a real one. I quickly moved to her and held her up, leading her toward the table. I warned the other students to leave her alone only with a look. They knew when not to cross me.  
  
Everything went as normal as it could at Hogwarts. She made friend with Granger. I'm a bit disapointed by that, but they are so much alike it's disturbing. Willow Rosenberg is a brillant mind and she won't waste it when hanging out with the know-it-all Gryffindor.  
  
Then one day, Albus called me to his office. My student was in the infirmary and I learned that she had tempered in the Black Arts. There was no mistake about that. No goodie goodie two shoes could have black eyes. But I still can't understand why she felt it when I was summoned. That really stumped me.  
  
But the biggest shock came when we talked in the infirmary. I still can't believe I told her I was a spy. And I still have trouble believing the dreams she had. She saw my past. Well, one memory in particular. The night Morganna died. The night Voldemort sent my daughter away. The night I turned my back on the dark side and went to Albus. And she had her ring, Morganna's ring. She told me she was supposed to help find my daughter. I hope she can. How I want to hold her in my arms.  
  
* * *  
  
"Ah, Severus! Miss Rosenberg is doing well, I hope?" Dumbledore asked, eyes twinkling merrily.  
  
"As well as she can be," he grumbled. He sat down heavily in an armchair and sighed. "The chit had dreams... disturbing one, since the beginning of school year. I just found out she was dreaming my past."  
  
The Headmaster looked at him seriously. "Which part?"  
  
"The night he killed Morganna and took my daughter." He closed his eyes for a moment. "She has her ring, Albus," he whispered. "Somehow, Morganna gave it to her and she now has it in the physical realm."  
  
"Maybe it's a sign."  
  
Severus looked strangely at Dumbledore. "Something tells me you know more than you let it seems."  
  
The Headmaster laughed. "Maybe you're right. Lemon drop?"  
  
* * *  
  
"He has a tougher past than I thought. No wonder he's so bitter."  
  
"Draco, you can't tell anyone what I just told you. Nobody knows except Snape and probably Dumbledore."  
  
"Don't worry, Willow. The secret is safe with me."  
  
"Yeah," she said hesitantly. "And you're a Hufflepuff."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Sorry."  
  
He sighed and passed a hand through his hair. "Listen, I know everyone thinks I'm a git, but you have to understand that most of the time, I act like that for my own protection. You can't just walz in Slytherin claiming to like the Gryffindors and helping Albus Dumbledore think ways of destroying Voldemort."  
  
"I think it's clear where I stand," she replied.  
  
"You're lucky to be still alive."  
  
"That warmed my heart," she grumbled.  
  
"Look. I'll keep my eyes and ears open and if I learn anything that might help find the location of Snape's daughter, you'll be the first to know."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"No problem." He looked at her and he bit his lips. She could tell by his look that he wanted to say something else. She waited. "Willow, what did the hat tell you?"  
  
"Another day, Draco. Another day." 


	13. Masters of Trickery

Thanks to all those who helped me destroy the evil SunShine! I can't say that enough!  
  
And yes! For those who were wondering, I'm out of the blank page syndrome, at least for a while. I'll start back to update more regularly. There are already three other parts waiting to be posted, but I don't want to rush it, so please be patient. If you don't understand that, go read chapter. 48 I think of A Drop In the Ocean by Echo. You'll know what I mean.  
  
Well, here we go!!  
  
  
  
Part 11 : Masters of Trickery  
  
Wednesday morning, Care of Magical Creatures  
  
"Hello, Hagrid!"  
  
"Hi there, Willow! How are you today?"  
  
"I'm fine, thanks." The redhead joined Hermione near the hut, nodding to Draco and ignoring the rest of the class.  
  
Apparently, Pansy didn't like to be ignored and felt particularly nasty today." Hey, Mudblood! Why do you hang out with Granger? You feel more intelligent?" she snickered.  
  
Willow lifted an eyebrow. "Maybe you should. That way, you would have known you've just paid a compliment to Hermione."  
  
Pansy saw red when the rest of Slytherin snickered at her and the all Gryffindor lot started laughing. "Just you wait. I'll get you."  
  
To the class horror, Hagrid had brought some Hippogriff again. Most of the class went uneventful as all the class knew not to insult the beasts. Everything went well, until the end of the class.  
  
Willow was bending in front of another Hippogriff when Pansy shoved her forward. She slammed right in the beast. She fell on the ground and her eyes widened when she saw it jump. She had just rolled out of the way when its paws stumped the ground where she was a moment before. She stood up quickly, but was knocked back by a wing opening suddenly. Her back slammed against the fence and she fell in a heap on the ground.  
  
While Hagrid rushed to the unconscious redhead, he missed the satisfied smirk on Pansy's face. But two persons saw it : Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger. The Gryffindor was biting her lips in an effort to restrain herself and the Slytherin was fuming. He walked to Hagrid and offered him to take Willow to the hospital wing. He left quickly, the redhead floating beside him.  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione Granger stepped into the infirmary, immediately seeing the pouting redhead sitting in her bed, an outraged nurse and a completely off the rocker Draco Malfoy. He was literally rolling on the ground, holding his side, laughing. Ms. Pomfrey stomped off, muttering to herself. The Gryffindor walked to the two Slytherins. "Okay, what did I miss?" she asked.  
  
Willow still pouted and she had to wait for Draco to take a break from laughing. "You missed the best, Granger! You should have seen the nurse's face!"  
  
"Yeah, I got the part about Ms. Pomfrey. But what happened to make her look like that?" She stomped her left foot impatiently. "Malfoy?!"  
  
"Okay, okay! Jeez!" He took a few deep breaths and sat back down on his chair. "Willow tried to get out of bed when the nurse came back from her office. She wouldn't let her go. Lets say I didn't think such nasty words could come out of such a sweet girl's mouth."  
  
Hermione gasped and looked at the redhead. A small smile was forming on her lips. "I admit it. It was funny to see her so outraged."  
  
"You could be in trouble for that, Willow," the Gryffindor reprimanded.  
  
"Oh! Give me a break! I've had enough of those walls! I've been in here for two days straight, barely able to walk alone to the bathroom because she was trailing behind me. I was going crazy! And then, not a week after I left the hospital, I'm back here because of stupid Pansy. She's so going to get it!"  
  
A thoughtful look appeared on Hermione's face. Draco shook his head. "Uh oh! I don't like that look," he muttered.  
  
"That's because most of the time you're on the receiving end of our pranks," she replied to the blond boy.  
  
"What?" the redhead asked, lost.  
  
The brown haired girl smirked evilly. "I think we should pay a little visit to Gred and Forge."  
  
Draco lifted an eyebrow and smirked. "Remind me again why you weren't sorted in Slytherin?"  
  
* * *  
  
The redhead sighed heavily. "For when is it?" she asked impatiently.  
  
"Shh!" Hermione and Draco said at the same time. "Just you wait!"  
  
Two green eyes turned back to the doors of the great hall. Fred and George were... doing something to them. She wasn't sure what, but she'd bet she'd know soon enough. She could hear Pansy's inane chatter coming this way. The two Weasley ran back to the Gryffindor table where two Slytherins were hidden under it, Hermione talking quietly to them. "All is ready," they whispered.  
  
They looked toward the doors, Willow already smirking. "Revenge is sweet," she whispered to Draco, who smiled back.  
  
At the same moment the doors were pushed open... and slammed back closed. They heard a yell from outside the great hall and several heads turned toward the sound. The Gryffindors started snickering when they saw Pansy pushing hard against the door, trying to make her way forcefully in the great hall. She finally made it and tried keeping her pride when walking to the Slytherin table.  
  
Her pride look was short lived. She stepped on a false part of the floor. Draco stifled a laugh when the false stone piece sprung and a shrieking Pansy went flying over several heads before landing on some carefully placed eggs on the Ravenclaw table.  
  
The great hall exploded into laugher and even some of the teachers were having troubles controlling themselves. Hagrid was laughing loudly, McGonagall hid her smile behind her hand and even Snape was smirking a little. The Gryffindors were laughing their heads off, especially the Weasley twins and Hermione. Willow and Draco had tears rolling down their faces, trying to laugh silently so to not being discovered.  
  
Pansy slowly lifted herself up from the table, shaking pieces of eggs of her shoulder and hair. Her bottom lip was trembling. She ran back out of the great hall, laugher following her outside.  
  
Willow and Draco discreetly got out from under the Gryffindor table. The twins slapped their hands and Willow smiled gratefully at them. "You really are the best pranksters. Hope we'll see your shop in Hogsmeade after you graduate."  
  
"You can count on it, Red," Fred said. 


	14. Search For the Lost One

Thanks to all who wrote reviews! It keeps me happy ( !! A happy writer is a productive one.  
  
Part 12 : Search For the Lost One  
  
The first thing Draco heard when he came in the library was Willow's scream of rage. He then quickly ducked a book flying at his head. He picked up the heavy tome from the ground and walked toward the table at the back of the room. The redhead was exactly where he thought she would be. "Let me guess," he drawled. "You didn't see what you was looking for in this book," he said, gesturing to the one he was holding.  
  
"There's nothing!" she yelled in disgust. "I can't find a damn thing! It's like there's never been a Morganna, less an Auror named like that. I'm about to give up."  
  
He sighed and sat down beside her. "Slytherins never give up. Don't forget that."  
  
She smiled at him. "Alright. I'll try to remember it."  
  
He nodded. "And what about Granger? Did she came with anything useful or was her research as fruitful as yours?"  
  
The redhead grimaced. "She couldn't find anything either. I told you. It's like she never existed. There's no record of a Morganna working for the Ministry or going at school either here, at Beauxbatons or Durmstrang. Absolutely nothing. A big fat zero." She put her head in her hands and sighed. "God, I'm tired, I can't find anything and my neck hurts," she whimpered.  
  
Draco stood up from his chair and placed himself behind her. He gently put his hands on her stiff neck and started massaging it. Willow sighed contentedly. He bent down toward her, still working on the knots he could find. "Feels better?" he whispered near her ear. He chuckled when she shivered and not from the cold. "If I knew I only had to touch your neck to have you at my mercy, I would have done it a long time ago." She grumbled a bit and he heard something akin to "smart ass". He laughed. "Don't worry, Willow. It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's the old Malfoy charm."  
  
Willow was disappointed when he stopped. She looked up at him and her breath caught when she looked directly into grey pools of twirling emotions. She shook her head to clear it and straightened her back. "I'll just have to be more persistent in my research."  
  
He stopped her hand from taking another book from the pile of records. "No. You are going down to the dorms to sleep. I'm going to do the research." She smiled gratefully and picked up her backpack. "Oh and Willow? Don't worry about Pansy. She won't come out of her room. She's too embarrassed." He smiled when he saw her leave, laughing.  
  
* * *  
  
He could have been sitting there for hours. He didn't know for sure. When a Malfoy was under the impression they were doing something important, they could sit silently for hours, just finding a bunch of ideas or make sure everything would work. Draco Malfoy thought his father was an evil bastard, but he was still grateful for some things he showed him.  
  
The blond boy had sorted many ideas as to where find information on Morganna and her daughter, but he doubted he could find any if the girls had already looked into the records. That meant he only had one option left. It was risky, but he was a Malfoy.  
  
He took a bottle of ink and his quill from his backpack, then took out a piece of parchment. He wrote.  
  
Father,  
  
I sneaked into Snape's rooms last week and I found a picture that picked my interest. I didn't know Death Eaters associated with Aurors. There was a name behind it. I was wondering if you knew anything about a certain Morganna. Any information you could provide me would surely be useful to torment the traitor with. Give Mother my love.  
  
Your son, Draco  
  
He quickly sealed it with the Malfoy crest and walked at a quick pace to the owlery. He watched as his owl took off, his letter firmly attached to its leg. Now, he only had to wait and hope.  
  
* * *  
  
Two days later, his owl flew over his head at breakfast and dropped a letter in his lap. It had the Malfoy crest on it. Draco smirked and quickly drained the last of his pumpkin juice, then jumped up and walked briskly to the end of the table, where Willow was sitting. He caught her arm and pulled her out of the great hall.  
  
"Hey! Let go of my arm, would you!" He didn't stop and only went faster. "Ouch! Draco, you're hurting me!"  
  
Only then did her words seem to sink into the boy. He quickly let go of her arm. "I'm sorry." He gently took her hand and led her to the Slytherin common room. "I've got news," he said, showing her the letter.  
  
Her eyes widened when she realized whom it was from. "You wrote to your father about it? Are you crazy?!"  
  
"Yes, and don't worry. I lied to him about my motives. I don't know if there is anything useful in it, but I wanted you there when I open it. Pansy's flight," he told the painting. It opened to reveal the Slytherin's common room. He pulled the redhead near the fireplace and sat down next to her on the couch.  
  
"Well, open it!" she said excitedly.  
  
"Aren't you a forceful little thing."  
  
"Draco!" She hit his arm.  
  
"Alright, alright." He broke the seal and unfolded the letter.  
  
My son,  
  
I didn't know you were that devious. I'm proud of you. One day, you'll make my Lord proud. I'm delighted to help you torture Snape the traitor. Ah! Morganna. She was a cute one. Stupid, but cute. It was a pity that she rejected the dark side. Of course, she had to die because of that. Poor Snape, still pinning for his loved one. I'm sure he's still looking for that daughter of his. He might be looking for a long time because she sure isn't in England. The Lord sent her off to the USA. Better not tell that to Snape, though. But I'm sure you could come up with something to torment poor Severus.  
  
Lucius  
  
"Yes!" Draco yelled. "We've got it!"  
  
Willow looked at him strangely. "Hum, Draco. I don't want to burst your bubble, but how are we going to find her? The US are like the fifth biggest country in the world."  
  
"It *is* a start. Maybe we should tell Snape."  
  
"No. I promised him I would find his daughter and I will. But I'll run to Hermione and tell her where to concentrate her research. See you later in class." She left the common room, running to the great hall, hoping to catch Hermione. 


	15. Quidditch Game

Part 13 : Quidditch Game  
  
"Come on, Hermione! It won't kill you to take a break."  
  
"No."  
  
"You won't fail your exams. I promise. If I can't fail them, neither can you."  
  
"No!"  
  
"Come on! You know you want to. I'll be fun."  
  
Hermione sighed helplessly. "You won't let me alone until I agree, will you?"  
  
Willow pouted and gave her the puppy dog eyes. "Pretty, pretty please?!" She added a ridiculous smile on her face at the last word.  
  
The Gryffindor erupted in laughter. "Fine! I'll go with you. But don't expect me to cheer for Slytherin. I do have my pride." She closed her book and put it in her bag. She swung it over her shoulder and walked out of the library with the redhead.  
  
They went outside, feeling the cold hair of early December around them. Hermione grumbled a bit. "I can't believe I'm leaving the warmth of the library to watch a quidditch match between Slytherin and Ravenclaw in this horrible weather. Why am I doing this?"  
  
"Because of my irresistible personality and sense of persuasion?" Willow asked her innocently.  
  
"Your head won't be able to pass through the front door if you continue like this," she added for good measures.  
  
The rest of the walk to the quidditch pitch was about the same as always. The two girls would throw banters at each other, but never cruel. It was just for fun between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin. They went up the stairs to the Slytherin section and they received weird looks from the students. Why was there a Gryffindor in their section with one of their own, apparently ready to cheer for their house?  
  
Willow stared right back at them to warn them off. They quickly looked away. Her reputation preceded her in her house. She was quite glad of that or she would have been in major trouble right now for inviting an "enemy" in the Slytherin section.  
  
"I still can't believe I'm sitting here!" Hermione hissed at the redhead.  
  
"Stop complaining! Just tell yourself you're trying to improve interhouse relationships." She immediately stopped talking when she saw her team coming out on the pitch. She stood up and yelled loudly with her housemates. "Go Slytherin!"  
  
Draco was passing by the Slytherin section and nearly fell off his broom when he saw Hermione waving a green and silver flag. Willow gave him the two thumbs up and he smirked, waving back at them. He then went and took his position above the rest of his team.  
  
Madam Hooch walked to the centre of the field and released the snitch and the bludgers. "Now I want a nice clean game, from all of you." She threw the quaffle up and the game began, Slytherin attacking.  
  
Two hours passed and the snitch had yet to make an appearance. Draco was still focused, looking around the pitch for any sign of the golden ball. The Ravenclaw seeker, Cho Chang, was doing pretty much the same thing, hovering here and there. He gave one quick look at Hermione and Willow who were enjoying themselves, occasionally glancing his way to see if he's seen the snitch. no such luck yet.  
  
Slytherin was in advantage, sixty points ahead of Ravenclaw, three hours after the beginning of the game. That's when the golden snitch decided to reveal itself. The two seekers flew after it, colliding with each other, but neither losing sight of the golden ball.  
  
Willow was enjoying herself, as well as Hermione, surprisingly. She looked up and saw Draco flying beside Cho, chasing after the snitch. She jumped up and yelled encouragement to him, the Gryffindor soon joining her, forgetting her past grudges with the blond boy. But the girls quickly lost their smiles.  
  
One of the Ravenclaw beaters was smirking evilly at Draco and he was sending a bludger his way. At the last moment, the Slytherin seeker dodged it, making the beater angry. He flew after the blond and waited for the opportunity to strike.  
  
Willow was watching the game warily, shooting nervous glances toward the angry Ravenclaw. She squeezed Hermione's hand. "I don't like it, Mione. He's way too near."  
  
Just then, a bludger passed right in front of the beater, who slammed it hard in front of him, where Draco was, not five meters ahead. The Slytherin never had time to realise what was happening to him before he was knocked off his broom, more than twenty meters high above the ground.  
  
Hermione screamed when she saw her "research partner" plunge head first into air. Willow didn't even think. She immediately closed her eyes and called forth her powers.  
  
The students gasped when Draco stopped going down to possible death. Himself was surprised when the wind seemed to lift him up and stop his descent. He looked up and his eyes narrowed when he saw the wind twirling strongly around Willow.  
  
Hermione was scared. The redhead had her eyes closed, palms up and the wind was blowing more forcefully around her than anywhere else. Nobody seemed to notice, which was good since it was kind of freaky, even for the brave Gryffindor. She could see the redhead's lips move and she soon realised she was whispering a spell in Latin. But the problem was that her wand was in her robe's pocket.  
  
Draco looked down when he suddenly started to float down very slowly. He sighed when his feet touched the ground. [Finally!] he thought. He picked up his broom and jumped back on it, quickly racing after Cho in search of the snitch. He saw the beater coming after him again, but a strong wind picked him up and slammed him against the goal post.  
  
Willow finally opened her eyes and smiled as she saw the beater go down. Apparently, no one had noticed her little magic trick. except Hermione. The brown haired girl was gaping at her and she could see the questions forming on her lips. She sighed dejectedly. "Later," she whispered. "Let's wait for Draco." Hermione nodded and turned back to the game.  
  
Half an hour passed before the Slytherin seeker caught the snitch, winning his team 150 points. Amidst the cheers, Willow and Hermione left, walking quickly and in silence to the library and sat down at the table the farthest from the door, giving them the privacy they would need for the discussion that was to follow.  
  
Twenty minutes later, a clean Draco walked in and sat down in the chair directly in front of the redhead. She was biting her bottom lip nervously and didn't dare look up. "Willow," he said gently. "Look at me. us," he added when Hermione glared at him. The redhead complied. "What did you do?"  
  
"I. I stopped your fall. and then I made sure the beater wouldn't get another shot at you."  
  
"We figured that out," Hermione said. "The question is how."  
  
She sneered. "I do have a wand."  
  
"Which you didn't use," the Gryffindor replied. "Willow, do you have any idea of the power you hold? Or does any of the teachers for that matter?"  
  
"Of course I do!" she exclaimed angrily. "I never touched a wand before coming to Hogwarts. And the teachers know... well, at least three of them : Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape."  
  
Draco snickered. "And I wondered how Pansy fell the first night after the welcoming feast."  
  
Willow smirked back. "It does have its advantages." She looked at a bookshelf and a heavy tome flew to her hand. She winked at her two friends. "And since we're here, why not have a look at the American records." The two "enemies" groaned, but helped nonetheless. They stayed there until dinner. 


	16. Happy Christmas

Part 14 : Happy Christmas!  
  
When Draco entered the common room, he almost missed her. She was sitting quietly in an armchair next to the fireplace. The light made her hair seems like flames. Bathed in the light, Willow looked like a fire sprite. And he was the moth going to the flame.  
  
She startled and squealed when he put his cold hands at the back of her neck. He laughed outloud. "Sorry. I couldn't resist." He sat down next to her. "Not going home for Christmas?"  
  
She snorted. "Like I want to see my parents and join their cocktail parties. What about you?"  
  
"Same here. But I'm bored."  
  
She grinned. "Well, there's no Slytherins around. Why don't we get to know each other better." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and she blushed. "That didn't sound quite as what I wanted to say and you know it."  
  
"I know, but I like to see you blush." He leant back against the couch. "How about you go first? Go ahead. Ask away."  
  
"Ok. Why don't you like Harry?"  
  
Draco did a double take. "You don't start with the easy one. I guess I don't take rejection too well. The first time we met, I offered him my frienship and he threw it right back at me. How about you tell me what's your dream?"  
  
"I want to be loved."  
  
"That's all?"  
  
"That's all I ask. I've never been loved. Only liked or hated. Why won't you join Voldemort?"  
  
"I don't take orders from anyone. I don't know how my father can stand to work for the freak. I mean, how often do you meet a muggle-born wizard that tells you to kill mudbloods because they aren't worth it? He's totally crazy! Why didn't you throw your wand away and stay a wandless witch?"  
  
"Voldemort."  
  
At one point, Draco ran to his room and came back with a wine bottle and two glasses. He gave one for Willow and kept one for him. The wine helped them relax and be more comfortable around each other. There were no lies between them. For hours, they simply talked about each other, sometimes cutting the other to ask a question or two.  
  
At midnight, they were still in the common room, in front of the fire. Willow was leaning against Draco, her back to him. She snuggled closer and he chuckled. "Do I make a good pillow?"  
  
"Definitly! You're comfortable."  
  
She wiggled back against him and he groaned. "Willow, stop that," he hissed. No matter how much the wine helped him relax, he was now as tense as a board. He was getting quite uncomfortable, espeacially since his pants were getting a bit too tight.  
  
The redhead suddenly kept still when she realised what effect she had on the blond Slytherin. She smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't meant to."  
  
"I know," he whispered in an husky voice. He leant forward and caught her mouth with his.  
  
They stayed on the couch all night, in front of the fire, sleeping in each other's arms.  
  
* * *  
  
Willow groaned when an insistant pounding on the common room door woke her up. She snuggled closer to the warm chest that she was settled on. Her eyes snapped open. She was still on the couch, Draco holding her close to him. She smiled warmly and stroke his cheek. "Wake up, sleepy head," she whispered.  
  
Draco woke up to the feeling of a pair of lips on his. He smirked when he smelled green apples. "Can't have enough of me, I see."  
  
The redhead giggled. "You were snoring loudly and I wanted to shut you up."  
  
"I did not!"  
  
"No, but someone is pummeling the portrait leading inside the common room and since all the Slytherins, except us, are gone home for Christmas, it's either Snape who forgot the password, which I doubt, or Hermione. I'm guessing it's the latter." She slid over him and he stopped her, gripping the back of her head. He gave her one last kiss before allowing her to stand up and walk to the exit.  
  
"Finally!" Hermione exclaimed when the redhead let her in.  
  
"Happy Christmas to you too," Willow said dryly.  
  
"I've been waiting for fifteen minutes!" She put her pile of gifts on the floor next to the fireplace. She raised an eyebrow when she saw a bare chested Draco lounging on the couch. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything."  
  
Willow glared at her, but still managed to blush. "We were sleeping. I never thought you'd be the kind to have your mind in the gutter." She threw a cushion at the blond's head. "Wake up, lazy bones!"  
  
Grumbling, Draco rolled off the couch and pushed his pile of gifts next to Hermione's. He patted the ground beside him and Willow sat down. Still half asleep, he handed a red and gold whrapped gift to the Gryffindor, much to her delight, and a green and silver one to *his* redhead. He received a silver package from her and a black one with smiling figures on it from Hermione. He raised an eyebrow at her, but kept his comment to himself.  
  
Hermione received and encyclopedia from Willow and a golden quill from Draco, with a little extra : further down the box, she discovered a little plastic mouse enchanted to move on its own. She frowned. "You do realize that I'm no longer three years old, right?"  
  
"You dumbass! It's for the great ball of ginger fur you keep in your room."  
  
"Oh! Well, thanks for thinking of Crookshanks."  
  
Willow grinned wildly when she unwhrapped her gifts. She was clearly enjoying herself. She got a book on advanced potions from Hermione and she smirked. "Thanks Mione!"  
  
"How you like that class is still a mystery to me."  
  
The redhead gasped when she opened her gift from Draco. It was a silver ring with a single emerald on it. He took it from her hand and slid it on her right hand ring finger. "If you didn't know how I felt about you, that would have been the biggest hint ever," he said, smiling.  
  
She kissed him lightly then clapped her hands. "Now open yours!" she exclaimed excitedly.  
  
Draco laughed when he saw what the Gryffindor had gotten him. It was a pair of boxer shorts with snakes hissing at him. Willow's present was the best he'd ever have. She had given him a silver pocketwatch with a willow tree engraved inside the lid. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice quivering. He pulled her to him and kissed her deeply.  
  
Hermione groaned. "Get a room!" 


	17. Heart's Desire

Sorry guys! I had forgotten that part before Reach for the Stars. :))  
  
Part 15 : Heart's Desire  
  
"I'm bored."  
  
"Then do something. I don't know. willowy."  
  
"I did. My holiday homeworks are already done, I read one bok, I studied a bit the chapters we'll be working on next week and now I'm stuck here with nothing to do because my *stupid* boyfriend didn't do *his* homeworks before Christmas."  
  
"That's because a fellow Slytherin was distracting me."  
  
"That's it! Blame it on the redhead!"  
  
"I believe that is what I just did." Draco sighed and put down his quill. He turned in his chair and pulled his girlfriend to him. "Look Willow, why don't you go explore the school a bit? I've been here for five years and I don't know half of its secrets yet. I'll be done in a couple of hours. Of go get Hermione and do. girlie things." She pouted and he laughed. "Come on! Go! Have fun while I'm stuck here doing my History of Magic essay."  
  
"Alright," she mumbled. She left the dungeons for the library, where she knew her fellow Gryffindor was hidding. She pushed the doors open and finally found her at their table. Silently, she krept up behind the other girl. "BOO!"  
  
"Aaargh!" Hermione jumped off her seat, a hand over her heart, eyes wide in fright. Willow giggled at her friend's reaction.  
  
"Shh!" they heard from the front of the library. It was Madam Pince, no doubt about that.  
  
The two girls bursted out laughing. The redhead wiped the tears from her eyes. "Can you leave your sanctuary for a couple of hours?"  
  
"I think I can manage."  
  
* * *  
  
"Where the *hell* are we?!" Willow screamed in frustration.  
  
"Screaming and swearing won't help us," Hermione replied calmly.  
  
The two girls were trapped in an empty corridor. There was no windows, no doors, no trap, no nothing. The door they had come through had vanished behind them and they'd look for another exit for the last thirty minutes.  
  
Willow gasped when a door materialized itself in front of her eyes. "There!" she exclaimed, pulling Hermione behind her. She closed it behind her and sighed. "Stupid castle," she muttered. "Keeps changing and everybody gets lost." She turned around when the Gryffindor kept quiet. She was looking right in front of her, not blinking a single time. "Hello? Earth to Hermione!" She didn't react. "Houston, we have a problem." She moved her hand in front of the brown haired girl's face and she finally seemed to snap out of it.  
  
"What?"  
  
She looked right down confused and that worried Willow. "You okay, Mione? You were completly gone."  
  
"Yes, I'm alright. I just thought professor Dumbledore would have gotten rid of that thing. It's dangerous."  
  
"What thing?" The redhead looked behind her and saw a big mirror in the center of the room they were in. "What's that?"  
  
"The mirror of Erised," Hermione whispered, watching the artefact with fascination.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
The Gryffindor wet her lips. "In our first year at Hogwarts, during Christmas break, Harry found this mirror in a room close to the library. He went back everyday after that first encounter. Dumbledore caught him one time and explained that it was dangerous and could drive someone mad. He moved it out of the room. I don't understand why he didn't destroy it."  
  
Willow's curiosity had been triggered. "Why is it dangerous?"  
  
The Gryffindor pointed the tp of the mirror. "It's backward. It says 'I show not your face, but your heart's desire'. To quote Dumbledore, 'it does not do to dwell on dreams'. When you look in it, you see whoever you want to be, anything you want to pocess. It's a dreamworld, one that can lead to madness." Hermione walked directly in front of the mirror of Erised. She only had to wait for a couple of seconds before the image shifted a little. "For example, I see myself two years older and I have the Head Girl badge on my robes and." she drifted off.  
  
"And?" Willow probed. "You stopped. What did you see?"  
  
"I have a boyfriend but he doesn't have any face. I guess who it is isn't important. I just see his school robes. He's a Slytherin," she said, squirming uncomfortably. The redhead raised an eyebrow. "I have a thing for badboys with an actual brain."  
  
Willow chuckled evilly. "I should better watch my back then. Draco might slip from my fingers." She laughed when the Gryffindor blushed heavilly. "I'm just teasing, Mione."  
  
"Damn Slytherins," she grumbled.  
  
"Come on, let me see." Hermione stepped aside and Willow took her place in front of the mirror. "Show time," she whispered.  
  
When the redhead stayed dumbfounded for a couple of minutes, the Gryffindor knew something was disturbing her. It was not like Willow to stop talking. She would at least babble or something, not stay quiet, mouth open like a goldfish. "Willow, are you alright?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
The Slytherin couldn't believe it. What her heart truly desired was to be loved, that she knew. In the mirror of Erised, she saw herself and Draco embracing, smiling lovingly at each other. Then, an hand dropped on her shoulder. Out of the shadows, a tall figure emerged. It was Severus Snape, the potion master in all his glory. Suddenly, the Willow in the mirror changed, her hair and eyes becoming jet black, blue lightning bolts dancing around her. The same thing was happening to Snape. [In your blood lies the truth.]  
  
She fainted. 


	18. Reach for the Stars

Part 16 : Reach for the Stars  
  
  
  
When she woke up, the first thing she saw was the Headmaster's beard. She started and looked up into merry blue eyes. "Welcome back, miss Rosenberg. Did you sleep well?"  
  
"I did," she said, frowning. "Considering I was unconscious," she whispered.  
  
The old wizard laughed. "Yes, I would expect so. It must have been a shock to find out the truth like that."  
  
Willow's eyes widened. "You knew?!" she exclaimed. "You knew and you never told me?!"  
  
"It was for you to find out. I know many great things, but it isn't my right to tell. You must understand that it is wiser to let people discover things for themselves than given them the truth on a silver platter."  
  
"Still, you could have at least told me," she grumbled. "I'm Snape's child after all. Can you imagine the school's reaction if they knew that the 'evil' potions master is my father?" she giggled.  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "It would be interesting, indeed. Rest now, miss Rosenberg. or should I say miss Snape?"  
  
Willow didn't answer the question and sighed. Her eyes followed the Headmaster's exit from the hospital wing. She looked up at the ceiling. [What am I going to tell him? I can't just barge in his office and say 'Hi, professor! Guess what? You're my father.' I don't see that conversation happening anytime soon. Great. And now I'm talking to myself. Well, more like babbling to myself. Stop it, Will!]  
  
The arrival of Poppy near her bed shut up her brain. "There you go! Take that pepper up potion and you can return to your common room."  
  
Pinching her nose, the redhead gulped down the potion and grimaced. "This stuff is awful. Someone definitly should work on making better taste for potions." She pushed back the sheet and put her shoes on. Leaving the infirmary, one thought surged in her mind. [What do I tell Draco?]  
  
* * *  
  
After dinner, she escaped from the Slytherin common room before Draco could find her. She walked slowly, hiding in the shadow, making her way to the astronomy tower. She went there sometimes to clear her mind. Beside, the cold fresh air would do her good. She went up the stairs and barely escaped from Filch. She was just lucky that Peeves happened to break some vase near there at that precise moment. She put her cloak on and went up the tower.  
  
She opened the door leading outside on the roof. The sky was clear and the moon wouls soon be full. She sat down on the edge, her feet swinging in the air. She closed her eyes and breathed in the cold air.  
  
She sighed. [This is a total mess! I'm not sure what to do! And Dumbledore wasn't a big help either. I'm lost!]  
  
Willow looked at the stars. [I wish I knew what to do. Giles would know. Buffy and Xander would just tell me to burst in his office and announce him the news.] She snorted. [Yeah, like that would go well. He'd probably faint from shock than put me in detention for causing harm to a teacher.] She frowned to herself. [No. That's what he'd do if it was another student. Me, I think he'd just warn not to embarrass him or he'd take away points from Slytherin.]  
  
The redhead stood up and started pacing on the roof, deep in thoughts. [What a *fucking* mess! I don't know what to think! Am I supposed to be angry? Or happy? Or disgusted? I'm not sure which one. I'm just like a child trying to walk trough a darkened room. I am blind, that's what I am.]  
  
She lifted her arms over her head and screamed in frustration. "Why?" she yelled. [Why did it have to happen to me? Why did I have the dream? Why didn't I find out before? Why Snape didn't find me before? Why did Voldemort have to snatch me away from my family? So many why and no possible answers.]  
  
She leant against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest. [And what about Draco? Do I want him to know? I've told him so many things about my past and he returned the favor. I trust him. I really do. I know, he's a Slytherin. But so am I! I can be trusted! Wait! When did I start thinking about me being trustworthy? I was thinking about Draco and my secret. Right. Back on track. Should I tell him? What if he thinks I'm disgusting because I'm the 'greasy' potions master's daughter? How about everyone elses reaction? What if any other Slytherins tell their parents and in turn they tell Voldemort? What now? Whoa, Will! One thing at a time. Just relax and think clearly.]  
  
She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps approaching behind the door. She quickly hid in the shadows, just in case Filch was coming out. But it wasn't the caretaker who stepped outside. It was Draco.  
  
Willow sighed in relief. "God! You must have scared ten years out of me. I thought you were Filch!"  
  
The blond boy smirked. "Filch couldn't look this good even if he took polyjuice potion."  
  
The redhead laughed. "You're right. Noone can give you justice. The original will always be better than any fraud," she said, leaning on his chest.  
  
"What were you doing out on the roof?"  
  
"Thinking."  
  
"Scary. And what were you thinking about?"  
  
Willow hesitated. [This is it. What to say?] She bit her bottom lip nervously and hid her face from Draco. "Just thinking about where we should search next to find Snape's daughter." [Good one, Willow!] she praised herself silently.  
  
"Ah, so you weren't having naughty thoughts about me?" he said suggestively.  
  
She bursted out laughing. "Just thinking about you is considered being naughty. You reak of naughtyness. is that even a word?"  
  
Draco ignored her question. His eyes darkened and he bent his head toward the redhead. "Is that so? It would be a crime then to *not* live up to my reputation," he whispered. He caught Willow's mouth with his own.  
  
When they let go, they were both panting. The blond Slytherin took the redhead's hand in his. "Come on. Lets go back inside. It's getting too cold out here." He lead her back inside the castle and then to their common room. They fell asleep in each others arms in front of the fireplace. 


	19. Losing Control

I didn't run a spell check on this because I'm too tired, so don't do ballistic on me if there is some small mistakes.  
  
Also, please take note that this is an alternate universe for Willow, thus a different past. It was exposed in the prologue and I added some things in this chapter. Spoilers for end of season six. Bits of it, not entirely.  
  
For those who read Willowy Touch, please note that the next time I update it and further on, it will be named Rain of Blood. Much more appropriate title, don't you think?  
  
On to the story!  
  
  
  
Part 17 : Losing Control  
  
Draco lifted an eyebrow at the grumbling witch slumping in the seat next to him. "Were you so nervous about first day back at school that you didn't sleep last night?"  
  
Willow glared at him and pilled up food in her plate. "One of my roomates was snoring loudly. I couldn't get to sleep. She kept waking me up. I'm sure it was part of a devious plan from Pansy."  
  
The blond Slytherin sneered. "Of course! You didn't know? The Slytherins' secret power is snoring to annoy your enemies. Ouch!" he yelped when the redhead elbowed him. "What was that for?"  
  
"Being mean and sarcastic." She bit into some eggs and followed with her eyes the Slytherins entering the Great Hall and making their way to the table. "What do we do about us?" she asked Draco.  
  
"What about us?"  
  
"Are we still being housemates that only like each other or are we officially a couple even in front of them?"  
  
He grinned wickedly. "Let them think what they want." He leaned toward her and lightly kissed her. She sighed in pleasure and almost giggled when she heard the shocked gasps coming from her housemates. "Come on," he urged her. "Finish your breakfast and we'll head early to Herbology."  
  
Nodding enthusiastly, Willow grabbed a piece of bacon while gulping down her glass of pumpkin juice. "I'm ready," she said, grabbing her backpack. "Lets go!"  
  
* * *  
  
A fuming redhead stomped through the school's corridors, a blond Slytherin running behind, trying to catch up with her. Frightened students stepped out of her way. The red haired Slytherin was angry, which meant one thing : don't stay in her path. She'd probably been victim of yet another attempt from Pansy to get at her from Fred and George's prank in the Great Hall.  
  
"Willow, wait!"  
  
She stopped walking but didn't turn around. She closed her eyes and counted from one to ten. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again. Draco was watching her with a concerned frown. "You don't look so good."  
  
"What did you expect?" she sneered. "My hand was almost bitten off by that carnivorous plant. She better behave in Potions or I won't be responsible for the damage on her face." She slowly calmed down as the anger and tension left her body. "I'm serious, Draco."  
  
"I know. I hope she realises it too."  
  
"I doubt it. And that's what scares me."  
  
He frowned. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I almost lost control over my emotions. In my case, that's a really bad thing. You can expect a worse reaction than that time in DADA at Halloween." She looked into surprised silver eyes. "I told you I dabbled a bit in the Dark Arts in Sunnydale. I never told you I once lost control over my powers. I went ballistic. It took the entire coven to held me down... but the damage was already done." She paused. "It was already too late. I had time to skin a man alive," she whispered. A tear rolled down her cheek. "It happened two years ago. I tried to left that memory behind. History almost repeated itself earlier in Herbology. I doubt Dumbledore would have appreciated it if I killed one of the students."  
  
Draco was shocked. Sure, she had told him about the Dark Arts part of her past. He had asumed she'd done something awful... but he *never* expected it to be maiming or death. He sighed. "I'll do my best to keep Pansy away from you from now on. I don't want you expelled or send to Azkaban because of Parkinson." He took her hand in his. "Come on. Potions time with the Gryffindor. Lets see if it's you or Granger who had the best mark for the last homework."  
  
She giggled, her worries forgotten for a short time. "Yes, lets."  
  
* * *  
  
Willow nervously played with the silver band on her left hand, looking at Snape anxiously. [Should I tell him after class? Or should I wait later?] She slowly cut the roots, lost in her thoughts.  
  
Hermione watched closely her potion partner. "Willow, what's wrong? You seem out of it today."  
  
"I'm sorry. I just have quite a bit on my mind. And the incident in Herbology didn't ease my mind one little bit." Her whole body tensed when she heard the sugar sweet voice behind her.  
  
"Draco, don't you want me?" Pansy said, loud enough for the redhead to hear. She held on the blond's arm.  
  
"Let go of my arm, Pansy."  
  
"I like it when you play the cold man. I'm sure you're quite use to lack of affection from the mudblood, anyway. Lets show her how kissing is properly done." Before Draco could react and extract himself from Pansy's clutch, his lips were glued to hers. Her eyes were looking straight at Willow over his shoulder.  
  
Something in Willow snapped at that moment. She knew that Draco loved her and that it wasn't his fault if Parkinson took him off guard. But the girl was seriously testing her nerves. She closed her eyes in an attempt to stop the flow of energy, her breath quickening, her hands clenching and unclenching, her knuckles turning white.  
  
Hermione stood up and took a step back from the redhead. Her voice quivered when she spoke to Snape. "Professor, please do something!"  
  
Snape's eyes widened when he saw Hermione back away from her table. He heard a shriek coming from Pansy's way. Draco quickly pushed himself away from the pug faced girl and turned toward his love. His face paled. "Willow, no!"  
  
The Potions Master finally saw what was scaring the brave Gryffindor. The red haired Slytherin was shaking from head to toes. Her skin was almost white, blue veins visible at the surface. He saw her hair change from red to black in an instant. The air became thicker in the room and blue bolts of energy twirled around her fingers. He only had time to come around his desk before he was thrown back againts the wall.  
  
Willow screamed as her control finally slipped. She opened her black eyes and sneered at the quivering form of Pansy Parkinson. "Such a pitiful sight," she said in a cold, silky voice, a smirk tugging at her lips.  
  
Draco saw it imediatly. The smirk, the voice. He knew only one person who could make you shake in fear with just the tone of his voice : Severus Snape. He gasped. [She's his daughter!] He saw his girlfriend advancing toward Pansy, a cold, calculating look in her eyes. [It was already too late. I had time to skin a man alive,] she had said. "Oh God! Willow, don't!"  
  
The witch stopped in her tracks. Doubts entered her eyes as she watched from Pansy to Draco. Her hands shaked with restrain. She screamed again. The only thing the students watching saw was Willow disappearing in a show of lights. Draco fell on his knees, trying to keep away the tears threatening to roll down his face. "Willow," he whispered.  
  
Hermione stepped toward the blond Slytherin. "She's gone," she said calmly. "Darkness swallowed her. May God help us all." 


	20. Darkness Upon Me

Thanks to all the reviewers (is that a word?) ! But really, what were you thinking?! Of course it wasn't the end. I'm not *that* cruel. (evil grin) And yes, it's getting darker by the minute. But please remember that it isn't a dark fic, so Willow won't go out on a date with Lucius or Voldemort or something like that. She'll come around. (  
  
Part 18 : Darkness Upon Me  
  
SAME TIME - FORBIDDEN FOREST  
  
The darkness of the night had just begin to settle in. The cold mist twirled at the base of the trees, hiding the ground. The woods screamed 'evil!' at anyone who dared step in at night. But even the darkness hid in fright at the new arrivant.  
  
A small tornado appeared at the edge of the forest, flashing lights in the middle of it. When it disappeared, a frail looking girl stood there. She wasn't very tall and was quite thin. But the black hair and eyes combined with the veiny white skin gave away her true power.  
  
Willow fell on her knees and screamed in anguish. Her mind and heart were fighting, tearing each other apart, darkness slowly overpowering her soul. She was angry and sad at the same time. She was fighting not to cry and the rage was bubbling up inside her. Only her will kept her from giving in totally to the dark. But eventually, even her strong will wouldn't be able to save her.  
  
Still trembling, Willow stood up and entered the forbidden forest, its very nature calling to her. [I shouldn't go in there. I shouldn't go in there,] she kept repeating in her head. But she went in anyway. And the farther in she went, the more dark it went.  
  
Finally, light made its way in the forbidden forest. There was a spot with no trees, no branches, no nothing and the moonlight could stare down at her. It looked like the only sterile area of the forbidden forest.  
  
And there were two person in the middle of it.  
  
The first one was covered in a black cloak. She couldn't see him at all. But she could feel his power. He was dark, very dark. And he was a wizard. She knew perfectly well who he was. Her own darkness had called him. Her power had pulled him to her. He had answered her call.  
  
The second one was dressed in black, but he had long silver hair and striking grey eyes. She knew that face, those eyes. Draco had the same. "Lucius Malfoy," she whispered.  
  
He smirked when he heard her whisper his name. He stepped forward and studied her. The girl had power, no doubt about that. It radiated from her in waves. But something was wrong. He could feel it in his guts. He didn't say anything and his eyes reflected only amusement. He took in her white veiny skin and black eyes. Her hair were no longer red, but black from the darkness crawling under her skin. She had so much potential. He liked her already.  
  
The witch stepped further in the circle. "What do you want?" she asked darkly.  
  
He chuckled. "Direct. I like that." He looked her in the eyes. "We are here because you called us, little witch. The awakening of your darkness was a call to all dark wizard. The greatest of all answered it. And I came with him. I wanted to see first hand the dark witch who could walk under Dumbledore's nose without him seeing the true potential in you."  
  
"What tells you he doesn't know?"  
  
Lucius laughed out loud. "Albus Dumbledore is a fool. He thinks everyone deserve a chance. His *light* blinds him." He looked serious now. "But my Lord won't cuddle you. He sees you, not as a kid with uncontrolled power, but as a dark witch who could be the best of all his Death Eaters. Second to him and me of course."  
  
Willow smirked. "I see." She took another step toward the wizard. "What's in it for me?"  
  
Lucius smiled. "Infinite power, high status, wealth. Name it and it's yours." He walked around her and pressed his chest against her back. "You could have everything." He smiled when he felt her shiver. He could feel her resolve start to dissolved itself. "You would be the most rich, beautiful and powerful sorceress to ever walk on this earth. Don't you want that, witch?"  
  
"Why do you call me 'witch'?"  
  
"Isn't it what you are?" he asked, coming once again in front of her. "The truth is, we don't know your name. What you were called doesn't matter to us. A name is nothing when it comes down to power. You are powerful, beautiful, and a Slytherin at that." He touched the house's sign on her school robe.  
  
His hand froze when he heard her laugh coldly. "Oh, yeah! A Slytherin! You should have seen the look on my housemates faces when they heard the sorting hat yell that house at a mudblood's sorting."  
  
Lucius eyes widened and he startled when he heard Voldemort chuckled. "I like her. She has so much in her that looks just like me. I bet Dumbledore could even see that the only two students in Slytherin that weren't purebloods will be his downfall."  
  
Willow sneered. "Don't get too sure of yourself. I have no reasons, yet, to join you. I could use my power to my own profit."  
  
"But you won't last long. You are not powerful enough. But with my help, you could become someone, someone respected and feared. Don't you want that, witch?"  
  
Willow could feel herself give in. [After all, why not? I could have everything I ever wanted. Draco. He doesn't want to be like his father. He doesn't have to be. He could be much better, much more powerful with my help. The only thing I have to do is get him to sway and stay beside me. Be by my side.]  
  
Darkness swallowed her soul. She smirked evilly at Lucius Malfoy. "From now on, just call me Willow." She put her hand in his extanded one.  
  
"Willow. Beautiful name for a beautiful lady. You shall rule by our side. I'm sure my son will be delighted to meet a dark sorceress such as you."  
  
She gave him a mysterious smile. "Who says he hasn't already?"  
  
"He met a mudblood. I want him to meet the *real* you." He pressed her to him and they disaparated from the forbidden forest. 


	21. Restless

Okay, I decided to clear up some things :  
  
Kekki - Willow disapparated with Lucius in the Forbidden forest which means for me out of Hogwarts ground.  
  
Jinni - *grin* sorry for the cliffhanger but I just couldn't help it.  
  
All of those who ask about Snape - lets just say I'll learn it in a less than appropriate moment. I'm not saying anything else.  
  
Thanks to all of you for the reviews!!!  
  
Part 19 : Restless  
  
When Hermione entered the library, the first thing she saw was the blond Slytherin starring off into space. He'd spent the first night of Willow's disappearance in the infirmary, unable to sleep without the dreamless sleep potion. The shock had been too much. She never would have thought she'd see the day when Draco Malfoy would be defenseless.  
  
Two days later, he wasn't in better condition. He skipped meals, didn't listen in class and let his mental health go to waste. He was losing his grip on sanity and if the redhead sisn't return to him soon, she feared for his life. He couldn't go on like this for long.  
  
Sighing, she walked to his seat and put her hand on his shoulder, startling him. "Draco, you have to eat something and get some sleep. You look terrible."  
  
He looked down in his lap. "I'm not hungry and I couldn't possibly sleep," he whispered. "I keep seeing her in my dreams." A tear fell down his cheek. He shut his eyes and pressed his palm to his forehead. "I can't go on like this forever, Granger. I never thought I could miss someone that bad. I want her near me." He fought back the tears, but couldn't keep down a sob.  
  
Hermione looked down in shock at the heartbroken boy. [Willow, you better come back soon. He needs you.] She sat beside him and took his hand between her own. His grey eyes opened to look into her honey one. "Listen to me. You can't break down right now. You need Willow, but most of all, she needs you. Her helplessness drove her to darkness. Only your love could bring her back to the light side. You have to be strong."  
  
"Why? Why do I have to be strong? It would be so much easier to just give up and be swallowed by darkness just to be by her side." He gasped when he was slapped hard across the face.  
  
"Wake up! Stop being a cry-baby, spoiled brat and act like a man for once! I thought the Snakes never gave up, were ready to fight for what they wanted. You're a Slytherin! So act like it!"  
  
Hermione's words finally seemed to sink in. His back straightened and his cockiness return back abit into his eyes. "You're right. It's just so hard. But I'll be strong. for her." He sighed. "If only I could have some time to gain back my old spirit."  
  
"We don't have time. That's the problem. Think for a minute. I need the smart Draco Malfoy right now, not the despairing one. Wherever Willow went, it was far form Hogwarts, far from Dumbledore. I could give you many people who could be drawn to her darkness, but you'll need only one choice."  
  
"Voldemort," he grumbled.  
  
"Right. Willow is strong, but also vulnerable. I'd like to believe she'd resist him and live, but we both know it is unlikely the truth. She'll join force with him."  
  
"But she's smart," Draco added. "I doubt she'll show him the true extent of her power."  
  
"I agree with you on that. Voldemort we'll think himself ready to take on the school no doubt because of his new *secret weapon*. We know that. The question is what do we do with this information?"  
  
Gaining control over his emotions, cold reflection settled upon Draco's mind. "I don't think we should tell Snape about Willow. It's her decision, not ours."  
  
"I know," she replied softly. "But think of it this way. Her pureblooded status is a truth known by us and Willow. an possibly Dumbledore. This gives us a head start on the Death Eaters."  
  
"No matter how many head start we have on them, we are *not* ready to take on the Dark Lord and his army."  
  
"Then what can we do?"  
  
Draco stood up and pulled the Gryffindor behind him as he left the library. "We need to speak with the Headmaster."  
  
* * *  
  
"Are you sure, mister Malfoy?"  
  
"Positive, sir. Now that he has Willow, he has the necessary power to attack the school." He looked directly into Dumbledore's eyes. "What about Willow? The ministry won't hold anything against her, I hope?"  
  
The Headmaster sighed. "I hope too, mister Malfoy, but I can't garanty anything. What I can garanty though is my protection if she wishes to be protected. Her father trusted me enough to put his live in my hand, I'm sure I could do the same for her."  
  
Hermione gasped. "So you do know about Willow and professor Snape!" she exclaimed.  
  
He smiled. "Of course I do, miss Granger. And miss Rosenberg knows that I know. We had a conversation in the infirmary the other day."  
  
"She knew and never told me," Draco grumbled. "Didn't she trust me?"  
  
Hermione put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed lightly. "I'm sure she had a good reason not to tell you. Knowing Willow, I'm sure she thought we'd be disgusted with or some other nonsense like that."  
  
Draco smiled a bit. "You're right. It does sound like Willow-thoughts."  
  
The Headmaster stood up and gestured to the door. "Now, I want you both to go down and eat something. I trust you know the way to the kitchen, miss Granger?"  
  
The Gryffindor blushed and nodded. Draco lifted an eyebrow at her. "Naughty Hermione. Sneaking into the kitchen to steal food. Tsk! Tsk!"  
  
She playfully hit him. "Hush you! Thank you, professor." She pulled a protesting Slytherin behind her, walking quickly down the stairs.  
  
Dumbledore smiled at the retreating teenagers. "Such good spirits. I hope you know what you're missing, Willow Rosenberg. You're hurting them both as much as you're hurting yourself."  
  
The Headmaster sat down behind his desk and sighed. "Come back to us soon. As much as your friends needs you, your father needs your presence more than anyone else. May you find your way out of darkness and back to us. Good luck, miss Rosenberg." 


	22. Dinning with Voldemort

Part 20 : Dinning with Voldemort  
  
"Tell me, Willow. I am much curious about how a muggle-born witch could possess that much power," Lucius asked.  
  
Willow grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She laughed abit at the man's expression. "Actually, I think it has to do with me being born on the Hellmouth." She looked ahead of her. [I'm not about to tell you all my secrets, Lucius.]  
  
After disapparating from the forbidden forest three days ago, Lucius Malfoy had brought her to his manor, offering her a room for as long as she needed one. She had also gained access to his library, which pleased her to no end. She had read books over books about the Dark Arts. She wanted to swin in the power dark magic offered her. It surrounded her body and soul like a protective cloak.  
  
Voldemort's plan had been revealed to her. He wanted to attack the school with her help. They'd walk in Hogwarts ground from the dark forest and would break in at dinner, when everyone was reunited in the Great Hall. Her job was to stun Dumbledore. She had no problem at all with that plan.  
  
At one moment, when Voldemort explained the plan, she had to struggle with her emotions. He wanted revenge on the traitor, Severus Snape. Willow went tense and it took all her self-control not to burst. She'd have to work on that before attacking Hogwarts. It wouldn't be good losing her cool when Voldemort played with the potions master.  
  
Willow's thoughts interrupted abruptly when she felt the Darl Lord's presence in Malfoy Manor. Some of the more influential Death Eaters were invited to dinner and the guest of honnor had just arrived.  
  
Putting on her most cold and calculating look, the dark haired witch walked to the dinner room and took her place in front of Lucius, directly at the left of Voldemort. Her display of power had sure paid off. Even some of the Death Eaters were astonished to see her seated at the same level of Voldemort's right hand man. For such a small slip of girl, she sure had impress the Dark Lord.  
  
Lucius smiled to himself. [She will be perfect for my son. An alliance between the most powerful dark sorceress and the heir of Malfoy's family. A match made in Hell. They will be unstoppable!] He stood up when he saw Voldemort step in the room. "My Lord," he said, bowing slightly, gesturing to the chair at the head of the table.  
  
The powerful wizard sat down and looked at his left side. "Ah, sweet Willow. I can feel the energy swirling around you. Lucius's library helped you, I see. You are right to seek knowledge, some trait absent in many of my followers." He sighed. "Wormtail!"  
  
Willow frowned in disgust when a fat bbald man squealed in fright and almost ran to his master at his call. "Y-yes, my Lord?"  
  
The only female seated at the table sneered at the poor excuse of a wizard and all heads turned toward her. "Poor little puppy, all frightened, even of his own master. Better watch yourself, little rat, or mommy might blow out the lights," she said in a sing-song voice. She smirked evilly when the bald man wimpered.  
  
Voldemort laughed. "I didn't expect less of you, sweet Willow. I can see the promess of a powerful dark witch in you."  
  
The rest of the dinner was uneventful. Voldemort listenned as his followers discussed among themselves. Willow kept a watchful eye around her while drifting in her own thoughts. [Fools, the lost of them! They are nothing but cattle! The aurors are going to kill them one by one. They all think the Darl Lord will spare them if they are good little puppets. They don't see through him like I do. He only cares for himself and those that could be his equals if given the chance : Malfoy and me. All of them could rot for all he cares.]  
  
She turned to Voldemort when she heard him call her name. "Yes, my Lord?"  
  
"How come the fool Dumbledore let you enter Hogwarts when you reek of dark magic?"  
  
Having her lies and partial truths ready, she explained. "Dumbledore believes in second chance. He thought he could help me, guide me to the *good* side. One day, I just decided I had enough of playing the goodie- goodie two shoes." She took a sip from her glass and observed Lucius as Voldemort, apparently satisfied by her answer, engaged in a discussion with McNair.  
  
The master of the Manor had his cold grey eyes fixed on her. She lifted an eyebrow and he smirked before turning his attention to the rest of the Death Eaters. Willow was no fool. She knew Lucius felt something wrong. She hadn't really lied to Voldemort. She was tired to play the good innocent witch. Her treachery went far beyond some lies and forgotten truth.  
  
She wasn't about to play second or third one in command for the rest of her life. Voldemort would have to die. Then would she be to step in his place, breaking Draco's resolve so he could rule by her side. Lucius would be suspicious and wouldn't trust her until he knew what she really wanted. He might be loyal to his Lord, but he wouldn't pass up the chance to gain advantages with what she had to offer.  
  
Willow knew senior Malfoy felt something off about her. He could feel her power as much as Voldemort could. Black magic was strong around her, like a perfume. But they just didn't know how strong she really was. For her plan to work, she had to gain Voldemort's trust first, meaning she shouldn't be a threat. She had to be weaker than him, but stronger than anyone else. Then, she'd just let him drown in her darkness when she's finally unleash it. Lucius would back her up and the power would be hers. She'd rule the magical world with an iron fist.  
  
Satisfied with her plan, Willow smiled to herself. Being bad felt good. 


	23. Interrupted Speech

Part 21 : Interrupted Speech  
  
It had been a week since the red haired strange Slytherin had disappeared. By now, it was all over the school. Everybody had heard different stories about what really happened. Some said Death Eaters had kidnapped and killed her and the teachers were trying to hide it. Others said Dumbledore had kicked her out of school for use of the Dark Arts.  
  
Only a handful of Gryffindors and Slytherins knew the truth. Pansy Parkinson had once again fucked up and the redhead had lost control, giving to the darkness. They all had to swear to keep it a secret by the Headmaster.  
  
On the seventh day after her disappearance, at dinner, Dumbledore stood up and interrupted several discussions among the students. After the talk with Draco and Hermione, he had to make choice. He would have like it better if it was a secret, but he wanted his students prepared for any eventuality. Things could go smoothly, or they could be under attack tomorrow.  
  
"Your attention please. As several of you knows, one of your classmate hasn't been in class for a week now. We currently have no news of miss Rosenberg. But considering her origins, we must take in consideration any possibilities. From now on, curfew is at eight o'clock and no student is allowed outside after dinner." He paused, looking around the Great Hall. "It might not come to a surprise to any of you that we could be under attack. It is a possibility. Recent events forced me to take a more direct approach. Now, I don't want any of you to panic, but better be safe than sorry. Thank you." The Headmaster sat down once more.  
  
"Is he mad?" Ron announced. "What could have possessed him to say that?"  
  
"I don't know," Harry replied, then turned to the brown haired girl seated beside him. "Hermione, you're Willow's friend. Please, tell us something. I know you have some answers."  
  
Hermione just watched helplessly as every fifth year Gryffindor looked at her, hope in their eyes. She sighed and nodded. "Willow comes from a place called Sunnydale. It's a very special town. It is a Hellmouth. She learned magic there, so she was tainted a bit by the Dark Arts." The Gryffindors gasped. "Yes. On the Hellmouth, you can die if you don't know curses and the like."  
  
She closed her eyes, organizing her thoughts. "The problem is, when Willow lost control in potions, she unleashed all that dark power trapped inside of her. It acts like a beacon to any dark wizard around, which mean You- Know-Who. Lost and confused, he will use Willow like a puppet."  
  
Ron sneered. "Malfoy must be pleased. His girlfriend his You-Know-Who's secret weapon."  
  
Hermione glared at him. "Are you that blind, Ronald Weasley?! I almost had to break his nose so he would stop moping. He was the one to suggest we should go speak to professor Dumbledore."  
  
"You're kidding us?" Seamus said.  
  
"Absolutly not. He cares a great deal about her. And his parents might be Death Eaters, but it doesn't mean he wants to see the school blow up in a show of light by his girlfriend who had her strings pulled by an hypocrite." She looked across the Great Hall and the rest of the Gryffindors followed suit.  
  
Draco was playing with the food in his plate and was ignoring the Slytherins that tried to talk to him. He was looking positively miserable. He sighed and looked up, his grey eyes locking imediatly with Hermione's brown ones.  
  
The dinner was abruptly disturbed by an explosion coming from the front door. Seconds later, the doors leading inside the Great Hall were pushed open and dozens of Death Eaters walked inside, making the students scream their heads off. Dumbledore stood up, wand drawn, but an invisible force held him down. His eyes widened in surprise.  
  
"Tsk! Tsk! Naughty professor! Trying to pull magic tricks on us."  
  
The students gasped when they saw the missing student step inside, Voldemort and Lucius by her side. But she was quite different than the one they knew. This Willow had black hair and white veiny skin. She was dressed in black leather pants and a dark green blouse.  
  
Hermione stood up. "Willow!" she cried.  
  
The dark witch lifted her wand and with a single flick of it, the brown haired Gryffindor flew several feet back. "Silence, mudblood!"  
  
Voldemort chuckled darkly. "You did very well, Willow. You can have her to play with later."  
  
"Thank you, my Lord." She bowed and walked to the Slytherin table, Lucius' eyes following her every moves. He smiled in pride when she went directly at his son. "Hello, Draco."  
  
The blond boy's eyes narrowed and his father frowned when he heard what he said. "Don't call me that! You don't have the right! You're just a monster with the skin of MY Willow!"  
  
The witch slapped him. "That girl is gone!" She was angry. He hadn't acted like she wanted him to. She also didn't want to show it, but his words had hit home. She had slapped him to conceal the hurt look in her eyes. No matter what she was, she would always love him.  
  
Draco hissed when his father grabbed his arm painfully. "You stupid boy! You should be proud to be chosen by the dark witch Willow, one of Lord Voldemort strongest fighters!"  
  
"It's okay, Lucius. Let him go," Willow said calmly. "He's just confused by Dumbledore and still hangs on the other Willow. He'll see reason soon enough. Your son is no fool. He knows what's good for him." She turned her back on Malfoy junior and joined Voldemort who was making his way toward the head table.  
  
Draco's legs were shaking so hard he had to hold himself to the table. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were squeazed shut. He opened them again when his father left his side. Chocolate eyes found his gaze. He fought hard against the tears, but one managed to slid down his face. He looked at Hermione for strenght and she mouthed him something that looked a lot like 'Be strong'. He nodded and took a deep breath. He would be strong.. for her. 


	24. Fighting

Part 22 : Fighting  
The doors were locked and guarded by two Death Eaters. The students nearest to the doors were looking frightfully at the dreadful masks under the wizards' cloak. Dumbledore was still frozen, under Willow's spell, and the rest of the teachers' were helpless, tied up and hung in the air. Most of the Slytherins had satisfied looks, but some of them still looked like someone had killed their dog. As for the rest of the students, they were frightened. Only, Draco, Hermione, Ron and Harry stood still, glaring in defiance at the Death Eaters.  
  
Voldemort sat down in Dumbledore's chair and sighed. On his right sat Lucius, on his left, Willow. The black haired girl grinned evilly at her fellow classmates. The dark lord chuckled. "Now, now, Willow. Don't you see you're scaring them?"  
  
She laughed coldly and Draco shivered. "That's exactly the point. If the doors weren't guarded, I think some of them would actually try to run just to get away from me." She glanced toward the Hufflepuff table. The students gasped when her eyes went jet black. "What's the matter? Do I have something on my face?" she asked in a mocking voice.  
  
"Willow," Lucius started, smiling. "Stop scaring the children."  
  
"But I want to play," she answered in a childish voice. Senior Malfoy almost laughed when she pouted like a petulent child.  
  
"Willow, stop it!"  
  
Her eyes narrowed when she recognized the voice. "And why should I? What's the matter, Draco? Don't you love me anymore?"  
  
"You are a monster! You're not Willow!"  
  
"Oh but I am and you know it." She stood up and walked to the Slytherin table. She cocked her head. "You know it. and it scares you, doesn't it?" She smiled coldly. "You deny it, but you always knew I had this much darkness inside of me. You knew exactly the potential I had for the Dark Arts. You try to be strong, but you're not sure you can be. You know I'm stronger than you. You know I'm darker than you. You know I'm crueller than you." She turned to look at the rest of the Great Hall. "Should I prove it?"  
  
"No!" Draco cried. "No proof is necessary. I know what you are. I've always known your potential for darkness."  
  
"Good for you," Willow replied.  
  
"But I know your potential for good also." Willow froze. "Your soul is much brighter than any I've ever met and it surpasses even the darkness inside of you. What do you say to that?" His cocky tone had returned.  
  
Lucius stood up quickly. "You fool! I don't know what possessed me to let you live to this point. You should join force with the greatest dark sorceress, not go against her! You don't'know what she's capable of."  
  
But Lucius wasn't so sure anymore when he saw the cruel grin on his son's face. "No, father. *You* can't begin to imagine the real extent of her power."  
  
A cold silence filled the Great Hall as father and son began a glaring contest. until Willow cleared her throat. "Down, boys. No need for your little display of testosterone."  
  
Lucius knew his son wasn't bluffing. Draco was many things, but no matter how much he hated him, he couldn't lie to his father. If he tried, he would have known. Like father like son. He could recognize the 'lying face' of his son, because he had the same one.  
  
He wouldn't admit it, but he was scared. Scared of Willow. What Draco said was right. He didn't know the true extent of the girl's power. Did his son knew? Was it a warning or just a guess? Ever since Willow had been in his presence, something had been bothering him. Something was definitly wrong. The girl was hidding something, but what?  
  
"Willow, I know you're much better than this."  
  
Voldemort hissed. "Gryffindor." Hermione had stood up and was looking straight at her friend, no matter how scared she might be. Her fear didn't show. She *would* be strong.  
  
"You can fight it, Willow, I know you can. Don't let it swallow you whole."  
  
Lucius sneered. "Don't listen to her, sweet. She's so 'good', she couldn't understand the pull, the darkness, the power."  
  
"Willow, believe me! I'm your friend. Just look at me. Would I really say something if I didn't think it true? If I wasn't sure of what I was saying?"  
  
"Shut up, mudblood!" she screamed in rage.  
  
Hermione's face hardened. "You're one too, remember?"  
  
Silence. Noone moved. Noone talked. Something in Willow snapped. [In your blood lies the truth.] Her eyes glanced quickly at Snape hanging in the air. [I'm not a mudblood! She has no rights to say that to me!]  
  
Draco looked curiously at Willow. [It's working! She knows her true heritage. The fact that her father chose the good side is working her up, confusing her.] His silver eyes widened when he saw his father point his wand at the Gryffindor.  
  
"Crucio!"  
  
Hermione screamed in pain and collapsed on the floor. She held on her sides, hoping for the pain to fade. Lucius laughed. "Regretting your words, mudblood? You're lucky Willow didn't rip your skin right on the spot." He turned to his master. "My Lord, is it time to deal with the unworthy? I think the traitor's screams would sound good with the mudblood's ones."  
  
Willow eyes widened. [Traitor? Surely he isn't thinking of.?] Her eyes snapped to Severus. The Potions Master had hidden his emotions behind a cold mask and he glared at senior Malfoy. [Oh God! He is!]  
  
The stone wall erected around her heart started to crumble. The black eyes changed back to green. The coldness didn't reach her eyes anymore. She squeezed them shut. [No. I won't let them hurt him.] When she opened her eyes again, there was an unbelievable calmness surrounding her.  
  
She was ready. 


	25. A Daughter's Love

Part 23 : A Daughter's Love  
"Bring the traitor!" Voldemort hissed.  
  
Lucius broke the spell on Severus and he fell on the floor, to be  
  
immediately grabbed by two Death Eaters who brought him in front of  
  
the dark lord. Lucius grinned evilly. Severus glared coldly.  
  
Willow sighed. [Another show of testosterone.]  
  
"You disappoint me, Severus. You were one of the best," Voldemort  
  
added. "We don't tolerate traitors among us. Your punishment shall  
  
be death. But let's make it with the pain first." He pointed his  
  
wand at Severus. "Crucio!"  
  
Willow's hands crisped when she saw her father twisting on the floor,  
  
but still holding the scream down. [I am powerful. I have the  
  
needed potential to be the greatest dark sorceress. I can feel it in  
  
my gut.] Doubt entered her mind. [But am I really better than  
  
that? Is Hermione right? Can I still turn back and walk to the  
  
light? Or am I already too far on the path of shadows?]  
  
Severus sighed in relief when the spell ended. He had not yet given  
  
in to the temptation to scream. He wouldn't give them the  
  
satisfaction. [I won't ever know if my daughter was alive after  
  
all. Forgive me, Morganna, for not being strong enough.] He looked  
  
at the now black haired Slytherin staring off into space. [I failed  
  
you, Willow. Please, don't make the same mistakes I made.]  
  
Hermione opened her eyes and first saw Harry and Ron's worried faces  
  
watching her. "You okay, `Mione?" She nodded slowly and sat up.  
  
She could see the changes in Willow. Somehow, her words had hit home  
  
as well as Draco's ones. But the Slytherin and her knew something  
  
the others didn't. The cold look on Willow's face. The black hair.  
  
The sneer she had seen so many times. The words hadn't been there to  
  
hurt her, to tell her she was muggle-born. They had been said to  
  
make her realise who she truly was, what she was searching for. What  
  
she was meant to do. [She shall come from the land of the sun,  
  
different from all those around her. She who possess a power never  
  
before seen shall be the downfall of He who-must-not-be-named. In  
  
her blood lies the truth.]  
  
"What is it, `Mione?" Harry asked. His friend was staring off at  
  
Willow, still a bit dazed.  
  
"Nothing, Harry." Then she heard Ron gasp.  
  
"Bloody hell! I was so stupid! I can't believe I didn't see it  
  
before! Look at Willow. She's the spitting image of Snape."  
  
Harry's eyes widened. "You mean."  
  
"Yes!" Hermione cried, then turned back to the scene at the Head  
  
table. "Her real name is Willow Snape. and her father is being  
  
tortured by Death Eaters," she finished with an evil grin.  
  
The Gryffindors weren't the only ones to see the changes in Willow.  
  
Draco was staring at her. "Come on, Will. Wake up! Fight it!" he  
  
whispered.  
  
As if hearing him, Willow's back straightened. The famous resolve  
  
face appeared. She turned toward Voldemort as he lifted his wand  
  
toward Severus while cackling like a madman. "No," she said  
  
strongly. Lifting her own wand, she yelled, "Expelliarmus!"  
  
The Death Eaters stared when their Lord was thrown back as his wand  
  
flew to Willow's hand. Lucius' eyes narrowed. "Willow, what the  
  
hell are you doing?" Her green eyes turned to look at him and a  
  
smirk tugged her lips. He froze. He knew that expression. "No," he  
  
whispered. "It's impossible."  
  
"What's the matter, Willow?" an angry voice hissed. "Don't want us  
  
to hurt the traitor? You picked quite the wrong moment to grow a  
  
conscience." Voldemort walked back at the teachers' table.  
  
"I don't care about the traitor," she answered calmly. The dark  
  
lord's eyes widened when the wind blew inside the Great Hall.  
  
Willow's hair became red once more and the skin lost its whiteness  
  
and the blue veins. "But I care about my father."  
  
"What?!" Voldemort cried.  
  
Severus couldn't have been more surprised than he did at the  
  
moment. "My. daughter?" He groaned and fell on his hands and knees,  
  
breathing deeply, doing his best not to faint. "I found her,  
  
Morganna. I found her," he whispered.  
  
"You!" the dark lord cried. "Kill her!"  
  
At his words, a dozen curses flew to her, but not before she had time  
  
to erect shields around her. But the force still knocked her back.  
  
She jumped back on her feet. "I was willing to play nice and let it  
  
go, but now I'm angry. I'm done playing." She snapped her wand.  
  
Silence. Lucius stared. "You snapped your wand? What are you?  
  
Stupid?"  
  
"No. Just different." Wind blew across the room and swirled around  
  
Willow. She slowly flew up, her feet no longer touching the ground.  
  
Blue bolts of energy crackled around her fingers.  
  
Understanding finally dawned on Lucius. The thing that felt wrong  
  
about her was the flow of energy. Her wand captured some of it and  
  
made her power seem disrupted. "A wandless witch!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Run, little Death Eaters, because the big bad witch has come to  
  
play."  
  
"You shall taste my power, little girl," Voldemort hissed. "Kill  
  
her!"  
  
As Death Eaters walked toward her, Willow made signs in the air.  
  
Strong vines came out of nowhere and caught the dark wizards. It  
  
bounded them, rending them unable to flee or curse someone. The  
  
redhead looked deep into Voldemort's red eyes and allowed hers to  
  
turn black. "You are no match for me."  
  
"We shall see who is the strongest."  
  
Willow laughed coldly. "Oh, please! You think you can beat me  
  
without your wand?! No wand user will gain power over me. Except  
  
maybe one," she said, winking at Draco. "Sunnydale's witches do it  
  
like this!"  
  
The dark lord didn't have the time to move before being zapped by a  
  
black bolt of energy coming from Willow's fingers. He flew back and  
  
collapsed against the wall. The redhead smirked. "So much for the  
  
dark lord." Just then, pain wracked her body and she screamed. She  
  
looked up and saw Lucius walking toward her.  
  
"You could have had anything you wanted! You could have been the  
  
greatest!"  
  
"Petrificus totalus!"  
  
Straight at a metal bar, Lucius fell on the ground, eyes wide open.  
  
Willow smiled at her father who was pointing Draco's father with his  
  
wand. "I always wanted to do that."  
  
Willow laughed and stood up weakly. She looked down at  
  
Lucius. "You're wrong. There is something I couldn't have had."  
  
She glanced at the Slytherin table and silver eyes met  
  
hers. "Love." She smiled, then collapsed in exhaustion. 


	26. Reunions

Part 24 : Reunions  
"Leave me alone, you silly woman!"  
  
Willow shifted in her bed. The darkness in her mind faded slowly, leaving the space empty for the annoying man with the hammer. Her head was pounding! And the yelling wasn't helping the matter. She groaned and put her hand on her forehead. "Could any of you stop the yelling? It seems it encourages the annoying man with the hammer," she mumbled. She opened her eyes when she heard her father say her name.  
  
"Willow!" Severus jumped from his bed, already dressed into his black robes, and almost ran to get to her.  
  
"Severus Snape! Get back in bed imediatly!"  
  
Willow giggled as she watched her father and the nurse in a glaring contest, each trying to make the other back down. "Well, things have been... lively when I was out, it seems." She smirked when Severus' glare turned to her. She lifted one eyebrow. "Not very effective, especially when I have the same one, *daddy*."  
  
He pressed his lips together, fighting hard not to laugh. She was his daughter, alright. "Talking about paternity, don't you think it would have been a good idea to inform me *before* yelling it at Voldemort in front of the entire school?"  
  
She shrugged. "Less problems this way. I won't have to explain to everybody my family history."  
  
"When you put it like that, it does make sense."  
  
"Speaking of his royal pain in the ass, how's Voldemort doing?"  
  
"He's... indisposed."  
  
"Like dead?"  
  
"Something like that."  
  
"Damn! Me who wanted to get to know him better. What about the rest of the Death Eaters?"  
  
"They've been taken to Azkaban. The Minister is making arrangements for their children to be taken under the government's wing."  
  
Willow smiled. "Good thing for them. Better for their future." She took his hand in hers. "I'd really like for us to talk some more. Maybe later this evening? I'd like to say hello to my friends."  
  
He kissed her hand, then gave her her clothes. "Better go change before that annoying woman comes back and tries to take them away from you. 'Till tonight, daughter." Severus stood up and left the infirmary, letting Willow dress so she could make a run out of the nurse's santuary.  
  
Hearing the grumbling nurse coming back from her office, Willow made a run for it, almost slamming in the closed door in her hurry to be away from the infirmary. She ran all the way down the steps, jumping over the false ones and almost winning another free trip to the infirmary. She bypassed a surprised McGonagall as well as some Hufflepuffs who screamed upon seeing her.  
  
Everything was well, especially when she opened the portrait leading to the Slytherin common room and heard Pansy screaming as she was hit by it, making her fall back. "Ooops! Sorry!" she yelled behind her, with a tone that said she was sorry at all.  
  
Several heads turned to see the red haired tornado making a run for the blond sitting in front of the fireplace. Draco screamed when a squealing mass jumped on his back. Willow laughed at his astonished expression. "Don't scream again, Draco. It makes you look dumb." He glared at her and she just giggled. "Now, you only need black hair and you could be part of the Snape family. You know that *the* glare is a prerequisite. Like this." She turned around and glared at the bunch of students openly glancing their way. They quickly went back to their previous occupation.  
  
Draco smirked. "You did that as well as your father."  
  
"I know."  
  
His face became serious. "For one moment, I really thought I'd lost you."  
  
"You never did, not for one moment." She sat down beside him. "I went in the forbidden forest after the incident in Potions. Lucius and Voldemort were waiting for me. They were pretty convincing. But still, I didn't tell them about my status as a wandless witch or Severus being my father. I kept that to myself. I have a dark side, Draco, probably darker than Voldemort when speaking of mind games. My plan was to work by his side and take his place when the opportunity arise. But you never lost me. No matter how dark my plans were, I always figured you by my side."  
  
Draco lifted her chin and gently kissed her. Willow wouldn't have any of it. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him more firmly against her. She opened her mouth when she felt the tip of his tongue on her lips. His arms encircled her and brought her to his lap.  
  
Willow broke the kiss and watched Draco with lustful eyes. "I think we'd better go somewhere else because everyone's staring at us." He laughed and picked her up. They almost ran to Draco's room and kicked his roommates out.  
  
Draco dumped the redhead on his bed and crawled on top of her. "And now, you're mine."  
  
"I wouldn't have it any other way." She smiled and pulled him down, capturing his lips in a passionate kiss.  
  
* * *  
  
Willow's POV  
  
That's basically the most interesting stuff that happened this year. I went to Hogwarts, got sorted into Slytherin, became friend with Hermione and I've got myself a boyfriend, Draco Malfoy. I discovered a was a pure blood and that my father was no other than the surely Potions Master Sevrus Snape. I lost control over my power, became one of Voldemort's follower, killed said Dark Lord and got back to my true self in no time at all.  
  
For the couple of months left before the ending of the school year, I spent my time alterning between classes, talking with my father and getting quality time with the Slytherin Prince.  
  
Draco is staying with his mother this summer. Lucius has been sent to Azkaban with the rest of the alive Death Eaters. The Ministry of Magic finally did something useful. But it could be because Arthur Weasly's at the head of it now. That's a great improvement.  
  
As for me, I talked to my 'parents'. From now on, I'll be staying with Severus Snape, meeting my real family. I can't wait to see if they all got the sneer. Got to be something to see. I still get the stares because of my last name. It seems like noone can get used to the teachers calling me miss Snape. I hope it'll change next year. Sure, Hermione and Draco laugh their heads off everytime I glare at a student who's been staring too long. It's not them who's being watched as if they expect me to give them detention in the dungeons and sprout greasy black hair. Black hair, yes. Greasy, no. But only when I turn evil... or when I want to, which somehow happens often when Pansy's around. I like to make her squeal in fright.  
  
That's about it. Just like a regular year on the Hellmouth. I'll should be used to it by now. I hope next year will be a bit more relax. I doubt it, but a girl can hope. Oh well! I'll just have to wait until September...  
  
...if I don't get killed by my father for annoying him before that time.  
  
*the end* 


End file.
